


Disciple

by CanuckleheadCowgirl, magnetocerebro



Category: X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: AU, F/M, Family, Found Family, Gen, Oops, and unfortunately Erik is what he's stuck with, baby scott needs a family, jean and scott can't be stopped in any universe okay, what if
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-06-30 10:39:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 88,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15750021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanuckleheadCowgirl/pseuds/CanuckleheadCowgirl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnetocerebro/pseuds/magnetocerebro
Summary: What if Charles Xavier wasn't the first one to recruit Scott Summers to his cause?Scott seems to be the perfect disciple when Erik Lensherr finds him: he's been experimented on, abused, and has a sharp mind ready to be filled with a mission and a purpose. So of course, he wastes no time in filling the boy with his idea of how the world should be.And at first, Scott is exactly the lieutenant Erik wants. Loyal, hard-working, and dedicated to the cause.The problem, then, comes when Scott meets a redhead named Jean Gray. The two of them are instantly drawn to each other, even if they don't realize at first that they're on opposite sides of the fight.But once Scott is head over heels for Jean, Erik knows it's just a matter of time before he loses his best lieutenant to Charles' own disciple.And he can't have that, now, can he?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so listen. Sometimes, Canucklehead Cowgirl and I get caught up in little side universes and "what if" scenarios and this was kind of the confluence of the Scott-gets-rescued-by-Logan universe being written at the same time as the K-works-for-Magneto story and we just started talking and then... this... happened. We were just discussing how Scott really could have latched onto whoever saved him from the desperate situation he was in at the Home for Foundlings. It happened to be Charles in the comics, but we tried with Logan and it worked so well we thought... what if it was someone a little more on the evil scale of things...

 

* * *

Scott Summers had no idea where he was going. All he knew was that he wasn't going back to the Home for Foundlings — so he had to keep running, to outpace the home workers coming after him.

He had no idea how things had gone so wrong so fast. As far as he'd been aware, he was just having a normal day — sans a massive headache, of course. But he was getting those more and more lately, to the point where even the red glasses that had helped him up until that point didn't seem to be making much of a dent.

His best friend, Nate, had offered a few solutions and had seemed concerned when the headache wasn't letting up, but eventually, he must have gone to get Dr. Pearson, because about halfway through the day, Scott found himself headed down to the nurse's office.

And… past the nurse's office.

At the time, he hadn't paid much attention to where they were going when his head felt like it was going to split open, but the alarm bells had started to go off when Scott realized they'd been walking far longer than a few hallways.

He had looked up just in time to see a different medical lab, this one much more sinister-looking. Although Scott was sure he'd never seen it before, he almost automatically panicked, a reaction that he simply couldn't stop.

Dr. Pearson had completely ignored him, almost dragging him over to a table where he clearly meant to examine Scott. But Scott saw the leather straps and twisted as hard as he could, doing everything in his power to get away…

He hadn't been wearing the glasses — they were in his pocket because he'd been pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes to try to find some relief. So there was nothing in the way when a sharp  _kzapt_ sound pierced the air — and the next thing Scott knew, he was staring at Dr. Pearson's unmoving body, sprawled out in the wreckage of a cart of medical supplies.

Scott didn't know how long he stood there, completely shocked and terrified. He had no idea what had happened, and he didn't know if it would happen again… All he knew was that it felt like the headache had left through his eyes... and apparently hit Dr. Pearson with … something.

He shoved his glasses back on and swallowed, trying to get a hold of himself. There had to be an exit somewhere, right?

When Dr. Pearson started to groan, Scott picked up the pace — until he found a door and flung himself through it.

He'd heard Dr. Pearson shout to stop him, but Scott hadn't looked back. He'd heard footsteps running after him, but he just kept running — and he wasn't going to stop until he either outran the people after him or he collapsed.

* * *

It was pure chance that had brought Erik to this small town. Normally, there would be no reason for him to waste his time, but with Charles building up a school, of all things, he found himself considering his own options.

Charles was right, of course — there was an entire generation of mutants out there simply waiting for guidance. A generation of powerful mutants that would define the future. And Erik, as much as he respected Charles, couldn't abide the thought that this new generation would be taught to hide its gifts, to operate in some false hope that they would ever coexist with humanity.

Clearly, then, it was time that Erik turned his own attention to that same rising generation. The question then became where he would house them — and how he would find them.

It was in considering the first question that Erik found himself in the middle of America. After all, the low population density and large fields might lend themselves to a smaller, more secretive operation — at least until Erik felt that his own students were properly trained and prepared to reveal themselves to the world.

There was the local population to consider as well. It was an interesting question, whether to stay close to a town full of ignorant humans. On the one hand, it would only serve to further his point — a nearby illustration of the immense backwardness of humanity. And on the other, if he were to consider bringing students here, he would not want to lose any until they were ready to fight.

But after much consideration, Erik felt, his interests would be better served elsewhere. If he ultimately decided that he wanted his own, he was honestly considering finding someplace closer to Charles' little endeavor rather than this backwards little town. At least that way he could keep an eye on things. Erik knew that Charles had a way of finding exactly who he meant to find — but somehow, Erik doubted that Charles would be able to keep so many young minds trapped in his delusion should they be given another option.

Yes, this was the way to go. And that meant that he was, indeed, wasting his time looking here.

He was nearly to the outskirts of town when he heard the unmistakable sound of a struggle and, curious, slipped toward the noise. He was just in time to see an unnaturally large man pinning down a boy, about fourteen judging by his size, to tie his hands.

At first, it was the size of the man himself that made Erik pause. There was every possibility that this was a mutant — he seemed unnaturally strong as well. Erik watched with a quiet frown as the man hefted the boy over his shoulder with ease, though the boy struggled to get loose, nearly desperate and pleading, "Let me go!"

And then, only for a second, Erik saw a flash of red in the boy's eyes. Not just a reflection of his glasses, either — those were askew on his face. There was a true glow there.

Curious, Erik decided to follow the pair of them in silence. Clearly, there was something more to this story, and he was interested to see what it was.

The man carried the boy all the way to what looked to be an orphanage, to Erik's estimation, though he had to frown at the layout. It was clearly designed to prevent escapes — not to cater to the needs of young people. And the atmosphere of fear here was almost distressingly familiar.

Erik kept his distance, allowing the man to take the young boy inside, before he slipped into the facility, the locked gate a formality to him and the bolted doors even moreso. But when he got inside, he was surprised to find that he couldn't find the boy and his captor.

For a moment, Erik frowned. He had been just behind the two of them, so there was no reason there should be no trace of them in the halls of this place.

Still, when he rested his hand on the wall, frowning to himself — he sensed the latch to the hidden door there, and his eyes narrowed further. A captive boy with possible mutant powers, a hidden room… Erik did  _not_ like the implications.

The bolts and locking mechanisms were nothing to Erik as he unlocked the hidden door and forced it open, striding forward with a growing anger when he could hear the young man pleading once more — "Please, let me go" — though Erik knew that there would be no escape for the young man. Not without outside interference.

When Erik found the main room, he was even more incensed to find a tall man in a long coat standing beside an examination table. The young man was strapped down at the hands and feet as well as across his chest, and it was clear that he was terrified by the tear streaks down his face and the fact that he was nearly hyperventilating.

"Enough," Erik breathed out, putting out a hand to stop this before it could go any further.

In an instant, much of the lab equipment, including a table, wound its way around the doctor and pinned him to the wall, away from the boy, though Erik had to frown when he saw that the man's eyes were the same red he had seen in the boy when he was kidnapped.

A mutant turning against his own. Erik had seen the same story countless times before, and he had no patience for it. Traitors had no place in the world that Erik would build.

Erik gave the man no chance to defend himself. No words would excuse his actions. Instead, Erik simply clenched his hand into a fist, forcing the metal holding the doctor into a point that pierced his heart and left him hanging there.

For a moment, Erik simply flared at the unmoving man before he turned his attention to the boy. With a flick of his wrist, Erik undid the buckles on the straps, and the young man sat up, almost unconsciously moving away from the doctor even in death.

Erik almost smiled. For all of Charles' lofty goals, he didn't see that this generation was already in danger of being lost. This boy was evidence — the humans around them would never give them peace. They knew only cruelty and violence.

"What is your name?" Erik asked, softening his tone. The terrified young man needed a kind word, and Erik knew it. He also knew that the boy was young and scared and perfectly suited to hear his own philosophy — a young mind of his own to shape before Charles had even started to recruit himself.

"Scott," the boy said, still a bit shaky as he got to his feet.

Erik nodded, allowing the boy to keep his distance for the moment. "I am truly sorry that you found yourself in this place, my young friend. Can you tell me — do you know of any other children subjected to this place?"

The young man frowned and shook his head. "I didn't even know it was here…" His frown deepened before he met Erik's gaze. "Do you think he took others down here?"

"I think he took you because of your gifts," Erik said, seeing no reason to lie to him. "Your eyes — have they always been so red?"

Scott self-consciously brought a hand up to his eyes but didn't touch them. "I… no," he said. He frowned. "What do you want?" he asked, clearly — and understandably — on the defense.

"For the moment, I would like to get you out of here," Erik said gently. "I take particular offense to people who would do this—" He gestured to the lab. "—to the rising generation."

Scott nodded quietly. "Yeah," he said, his gaze drifting to the table where he had been until then.

Erik smiled lightly before he put a hand on Scott's shoulder. "I believe that people like this should be stopped at all costs," he explained, even as he manipulated part of a tray of tools to flatten out and slide underneath their feet so that Erik could simply levitate out of there with him.

Scott was obviously surprised at the sudden flight, and he unconsciously held onto Erik's arm as they flew. But then, a sort of shocked, disbelieving smile crossed Scott's face, and he looked over the edge of the disc at the ground below as they left the Home for Foundlings behind.

Erik smirked to himself at the awe he saw in the boy's expression. "Yes, I am a mutant," he said. " _Homo superior_ — and I suspect you are as well."

"I… what?"

Seeing he honest fear in Scott's expression, Erik sighed. "You must not believe everything you hear, young man. There is nothing wrong with being genetically gifted."

Scott frowned at that. "I thought…"

"Yes I know what the world  _says,_ Scott. But I know better — and you  _are_ gifted."

"Because of my eyes," Scott said, though he was still watching the passing ground.

"Yes," Erik said. "You see, humanity is scared of losing its place in the world. We are the next step in evolution, but rather than accepting the changing tides, humans do what they have always done." He gestured at Scott. "They kill, imprison, and torture those that they fear."

Scott finally looked up from the ground to frown at Erik. "There are other places like that?"

Erik nodded. "Many, I'm afraid." He rested his hand on Scott's shoulder once more as he met the young man's gaze — which was still tinged with a red glow. "I was also imprisoned. And I have vowed never to allow mutants to suffer as I suffered — not while I have the power to save them."

Scott nodded softly. "Thanks."

Erik simply smiled at that. "I wonder," he said, "if you would be interested in joining me. For all my power, I cannot yet save everyone."

"I…" Scott trailed off and then nodded. "I don't want anyone else to be in that position. It's wrong."

"Agreed," Erik said. He tipped his head as he studied Scott. "As you can see, I have the gift of manipulating metal in all its forms. What are your gifts?"

"I'm not sure," Scott admitted. "One minute, I had a headache and the next…" He shook his head and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "I think I hit him with  _something_ — but I don't know what."

Erik frowned as he thought it over. "I suppose time will tell," he said.

Scott glanced up at Erik and quickly shook his head. "I can try to do it again," he offered. "When we're on the ground, obviously…"

"Good," Erik said. "I want to know your potential — to help you reach your strengths in this fight." When the young man continued to frown, he tipped his head to catch his gaze. "You do have potential, young man."

"I just wish I knew what that was," Scott said, still frowning.

Erik nodded. "We will see."

* * *

Erik was hardly surprised by how ravenously Scott ate when they stopped on the shore — he remembered that feeling, and more so. But when they had reached the shore, Erik let Scott process everything that had happened for some time before he spoke.

"I had hoped," he said, "to provide sanctuary for mutants. Apart from the humans that would destroy them."

Scott frowned slightly. "A home for people who aren't wanted." He didn't look toward Erik, but his sort of dull tone revealed what he thought of that.

"More than that," Erik explained. "A sovereign nation of mutants — so that no government or organization has power there."

"That sounds… a little extreme, don't you think?" Scott asked.

"Not when you consider the blind eye or, worse, the complicity that the world's so-called leaders have turned to mutants," Erik said. "Believe me, Scott; this is why I need your help. The hatred and violence is pervasive, down to the very roots. I have seen it myself, on a grander scale than that home where I found you."

Scott frowned at that. "I didn't know… my dad was in the Air Force…"

Erik smirked lightly. "And instilled in you a love of flying, I take it?"

At that, Scott grinned. "Yeah. He'd take us up in his planes to see the city lights."

"One day, you should do the same for your children," Erik said. "Freely, without fear of being hunted down for your powers."

Scott frowned for a long time. "It's just…"

"I know," Erik said. "It can be hard to believe something terrible without seeing it for yourself." He rested a hand on Scott's shoulder again. "For now, why don't we simply find a place to rest and to see what exactly you are capable of?"

Scott nodded at that. "Alright."

* * *

Scott could tell that Erik was starting to get frustrated with his lack of progress. It was clear that Erik was passionate about his dream, and Scott understood that. He really did. He didn't want anyone to be hurt or locked up like he had been — or like Erik had been.

That was the one thing they had been able to do while Scott struggled to get his powers to show themselves again — talk. And while Scott had always had a hard time talking about himself, Erik seemed more than willing to talk to Scott all the same, filling the space with his own experiences. Erik had been captive far longer than Scott remembered being, and the stories he told only had Scott angrier the more he heard.

He couldn't believe that this kind of thing… this was  _wrong_ , and it was still happening. And Scott just wished that he could get his headaches to turn into something stronger so that he could follow Erik when he went to find those mutants in trouble. So he could  _help_.

But no matter what he tried, all he could manage was a slight glow.

It wasn't hard to see that Erik wanted more from him, that he wanted to see what Scott was capable of. And the longer it went on, the more Scott wondered if Erik would give up on him, send him back — not to the Home for Foundlings, maybe, but somewhere like it. Maybe he wasn't a powerful mutant after all. Maybe he wasn't worth the effort.

Scott had stopped wearing his glasses, trying to force the headaches instead. The glasses were relatively new, anyway, and Erik said that he preferred to see Scott's eyes for himself.

"We do not  _hide_ ," Erik insisted, and Scott tried to follow that rule.

His head was killing him as he sat on the beach, staring out at the waves, and he was sure that was a sign of something trying to break loose. But it wasn't until Erik came to find him and encourage him to eat that it finally did happen.

Scott couldn't have explained how he did it. All he knew that was when he saw Erik, he could have shouted in frustration — because he still had nothing to show for a day spent once again doing everything he could think of to try to force his powers to show themselves. And then that almost-shout turned into something else. He saw that same red color as before and then —  _kzapt_  — the water parted to a depth of several feet, nearly out to the horizon, before the beam or whatever it was ran out — and Scott was left blinking in honest surprise.

There was a long beat of silence before Erik let out an honestly delighted laugh. "Well then," he said. "That was quite the display, Scott."

Scott blinked before he quietly rubbed his eyes. "Yeah," he said quietly.

"Really," Erik said, smiling outright, "can you imagine the possibilities here?" He gestured out to the ocean, which was still crashing against itself. "No door would stand in your way, no army …"

"I still don't know how to  _do_ it, though," Scott pointed out, frowning hard. After all, he didn't want Erik to get too carried away when Scott wasn't sure if he could live up to those expectations.

"You will," Erik promised, still smiling as he looked out toward the horizon as the sea finally started to calm down once more. "And now that I know what you can do… I can help you."

"It's not exactly metal manipulation…"

"No," Erik said. "But every mutation has its strengths, its uses. And I am sure that together, we can find your path." He rested a hand on Scott's shoulder with the smile still in place. "I did not have the advantage you have. Much of my own power comes from my own work, with no other mutant to help me. You have an advantage, Scott. You have a way to unlock your potential sooner, more easily."

Scott nodded. "Okay," he said slowly, "so where do we start?"

* * *

Erik was pleasantly surprised with how well Scott was progressing.

The boy seemed to throw himself entirely into whatever task Erik set before him with a determination that Erik could appreciate. The boy was still struggling with his powers, and there were sometimes weeks that passed with hardly more than a glow. But he spent hours each day trying to coax his powers into being all the same.

Yes, Erik was frustrated that he was not progressing faster. But the boy had a sharp mind as well.

He'd found that out after Scott had released another beam that bored a hole into one of the metal buildings Erik had erected as he worked to realize his dream of a mutant haven. Erik had rebuilt it, of course, but Scott had been exhausted the next day. So, rather than work on his powers, Erik asked the boy if he knew the rules of chess.

He had a child's knowledge of the game, but Erik spent the day teaching him the finer points — and Scott seemed to take to it well.

Out of curiosity, then, Erik offered the boy a few puzzles, situations to unravel. Hypothetical scenarios, facilities holding mutants, that sort of thing. If Erik sketched out the layout, Scott would try to find a way in.

It was an interesting insight into the way the boy's mind worked. He seemed reluctant to rely on brute force alone — something that Erik could appreciate — and worked to minimize damage instead. Minimal casualties as well.

Even after everything he had seen, the boy had emerged from the Home for Foundlings with idealism somehow still intact. In that way, he reminded Erik of Charles — but he hoped that he had found the boy early enough that he would not let that idealism blind him.

At the moment, Scott was studying a sketch of a facility that Erik himself had studied. There were no prisoners just yet, but Erik intended to wait until it was nearly operational before he destroyed it — waste their time and their resources. But Scott believed it was another hypothetical exercise as he studied the defenses.

"If you're coming," Scott said slowly, "then the best approach would be aerial. They're focused on the sides but not the air, outside of a few guards looking for something bigger than a single person."

"Good," Erik said, nodding along. He had the same thought, but he wanted the boy to work it out for himself.

"Now, if it's just me, the best option is here," Scott said, pointing to a spot on the east, where there was a slight gap in the defenses, a blind spot.

"And how would you get there?" Erik asked.

"If I could control my beam," Scott said, "the best thing to do would be to cause a distraction on the other end of the facility." He tapped the sketch. "Here. If I blast through part of the wall, they'll think it's an attack. This way doesn't even need a huge beam. If I can get it down smaller…" He shrugged. "Even if I can't, I just need it for a few seconds to blast one door instead of an entire wall as a distraction."

Erik nodded thoughtfully. "It's simply a shame that your powers aren't reliable yet," he said. "I would be interested to see what you could do to stop these facilities."

"Me too," Scott admitted, leaning over the sketch with a quiet sort of smirk. "I really think I could do this."

"I know you can," Erik said, matching his quiet smirk. "I would like to take you with me when I destroy this facility." He tapped on the sketch. "They are nearly finished with construction, and I wouldn't be surprised if they begin housing mutants before they are through."

Scott looked surprised. "But I don't know if I can—"

"You might surprise yourself," Erik said. "But in the meantime, I will handle things. An aerial approach would be best, as you said."

Scott blinked at Erik for a moment before he almost smiled. "Like a ridealong."

Erik chuckled. "In a way. If you can add your power to mine to flatten this place before they can begin their torture of mutants, I would be interested to see your potential."

Scott held his breath before he smiled at last and nodded. "Alright," he said. "I'll do my best."

Erik nodded as he got to his feet and offered Scott a hand up as well, and before the young man could change his mind, Erik called a metal disc underneath their feet to take them to the facility.

As before, Scott seemed to be more interested in the flight than anything else, grinning over the edge of the disc as he watched first the ocean and then the cities pass underneath him. "It's a shame your powers do not allow you to fly," Erik said.

"Yeah," Scott said, still grinning. "This is amazing."

"It is, isn't it?" Erik said with a smirk.

"Dad used to let us sit in the cockpit… tell us what everything did… but this is something else," Scott said.

Erik laughed lightly. "Of course. But then, so is your gift, Scott. You will learn to use it as easily as I do."

"I hope so," Scott agreed, still grinning.

Erik smiled to himself as they approached the facility. For all his power, Scott was still only fourteen — and that gleeful innocence was easy to see in moments like this.

But it was his mind that Erik was more interested in nurturing, as well as his powers, as they came to their destination. Scott had been right to think that no one would watch the skies for two mutants, and Erik set them down gently on the roof of the facility.

"Do you think you can open the way?" Erik asked. "I can do it myself, but I feel practice is the best way to open your potential."

"I can try," Scott said, standing up a little straighter. It was clear that the boy wanted to prove himself, and Erik was more than happy to foster that, stepping back to let him try his hand.

Scott narrowed his eyes as he tried to force the beam, staring at the concrete beneath them with an intensity that seemed to match the phrase "If looks could kill." But even after Erik gave him ample time to prove himself, it seemed that he didn't have the power to do so — this time.

Erik dropped a hand on Scott's shoulder. "Perhaps next time," he said in a consoling tone, though he was disappointed himself.

"I can do it," Scott insisted, his tone almost breathless.

"I believe you can," Erik agreed. "But not tonight."

Scott looked frustrated, even as Erik held out a hand and the support structures of the facility itself bent to his will, collapsing the ground underneath them except on the small disc where they stood.

Inevitably, several guards rushed forward, shouting orders for the two of them to stand down, guns cocked in their direction. But Erik said nothing, and Scott flinched, covering his head at the gunshots rang out — only to look up and see that the bullets weren't penetrating Erik's magnetic shield.

"Wow," Scott breathed out.

Erik chuckled. "Years of practice, my young friend," he said, simply floating the two of them through the destruction as it raged around them.

By the time he was through, the facility was in ruins, and Scott was in awe, staring at the destruction around them with his lips slightly parted. Erik didn't say anything to him until they were well on their way back to the island, knowing that the boy was still processing it all, so when Scott broke the silence first, he knew he was ready to talk.

"I'm sorry," Scott said. "I tried to get it to work, and I couldn't."

"You're still learning," Erik allowed. "I wanted you to see that I was telling you the truth — these places are being built to lock up mutants now. They are not just isolated incidents, not just in the past as I remember them." He paused and smirked. "And I wanted you to see that they can be destroyed by the very powers that they fear."

"Yeah," Scott said, his eyebrows high on his head. "I've never seen you do anything like that. Even living on the island…"

"Of course you haven't," Erik said. "I don't believe that mutants should use their powers against one another unless it's necessary." He put a hand on Scott's shoulder. "But I hope you see, Scott — you are well protected. There is no reason to be afraid to act."

Scott nodded. "I want to come again," he said. "The next time you find a place like this… I want to try again." He set his jaw and straightened under Erik's hand. "I saw the cells they had made… they were going to lock up innocent people, weren't they?"

"Imprison and worse," Erik agreed. "This facility has ties to a lab not far from here."

If Scott was aware that his eyes had taken on more of a red glow than before, he gave no indication. "A lab?"

Erik paused to consider the boy. His eyes really did seem to have more of that glow to them… and Erik had to wonder if he shouldn't keep going, test the boy…

"Perhaps we should stop there next, before we return home," he said.

Scott nodded. "We shouldn't wait," he said. "If they have a lab... If they have  _anyone_ in there…"

Erik smirked before he nodded his agreement and simply switched directions — and it wasn't long before they were coming up on the lab itself.

Erik truly was curious to see how this would play out. He had already seen that Scott had a sound tactical mind and that he could plan ahead, but this was not in the plans, and Erik was curious as to how Scott would be able to think on his feet.

Beyond that, Erik was sure, judging by the set to Scott's jaw, that this would be a much better way for him to reach into that potential. Anger could be such an excellent motivator, he knew from personal experience.

They approached the lab the same way that they had approached the facility before, though Erik noted that Scott seemed to be a lot more interested than before, watching the guards with his jaw locked so tightly that Erik could see a muscle moving.

He seemed to relax just slightly when it was clear that, at the very least, the lab wasn't in  _use_. But that only seemed to give Scott an excuse not to hold back, and Erik simply stood back, recognizing the sharp sound before the young man let loose.

By the time Scott ran out of power, Erik was smiling to himself, standing in the rubble of the lab as he put a hand on Scott's shoulder. The boy was exhausted, on his knees, but Erik couldn't be more pleased.

"I think," Erik said, "that you and I have much work to do."


	2. Opposition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skipping ahead a few years, Scott is now working openly with Erik, even dressing like him... and the X-Men don't know what to do with that.

 

* * *

 

For the past few years, Scott had been working with Erik — not just on his powers but on Genosha. That was the name Erik had given to the island, and … it  _almost_ felt like home. It was still a little… imposing, even after these few years. But the more they worked together on it, the safer it felt.

And that was the point, wasn't it? Mutants like Scott — trapped and being imprisoned, tortured, worse — they needed somewhere to stay, and an artificial floating island was a great start.

There wasn't much. At the moment, the most that they'd been able to do was take care of a few kids. Teenagers. A lot of them had issues — though Scott supposed that was to be expected. He did what he could to try and help, and Erik said that he could channel some of their aggression and frustration, give them a chance to fight back.

Scott preferred to work alone or with Erik. Erik had a lot more patience than he did when it came to these kids.

And honestly, he would rather work to a plan. These newcomers didn't seem to appreciate that. They were undisciplined and rash, and they didn't seem to care about who got hurt in their path. Scott tried to keep the casualties to a minimum, especially civilians. Camps, labs, he'd level thouse. But he tried to be more  _precise_ in other situations if he could be.

So it was nice to be out with  _just_  Erik for this run.

It was exactly the kind of thing Erik had always warned would happen — a program by the government set up to track down and kill mutants. This was a more precise strike — they needed to get the location of the program, the so-called Sentinels, and the others weren't going to have the same sort of restraint that Scott would. They were good for fights, not this.

"You seem preoccupied," Erik said with a quiet smirk as the two of them flew toward the train station. "There was a time that I could hardly get you to stop grinning like a child when we flew."

Scott had to smirk at that as well. "Don't get me wrong; it's still cool."

"But…"

"But I was just thinking about the others," he admitted, crossing his arms.

"They have gifts that allow them to aid our fight," Erik said.

"They're thugs," Scott said flatly. When Erik raised an eyebrow at him, he sighed, wishing that he could express it better. It was hard when the only part of him outside of the armor-like visor that was visible was his mouth. He understood it — the need for secrecy. And when he was a kid, he liked that he looked like a knight, with a visor Erik made him that he could flip up and let loose. But it made conversation hard.

"Not everyone has your moral center, Scott," Erik said. "They will learn."

"They don't care about who gets hurt in the process," Scott said. "I don't think they're ready to be out in the field yet."

"Neither were you when you first started," Erik said, resting a hand on his shoulder. When Scott still kept up his frown, he let out a sigh. "Scott, you have an extraordinary mind. That makes you invaluable to me. But not every mutant we find is so extraordinary. Sometimes, we only find foot soldiers."

"They don't listen to me."

"They will," Erik said, this time a bit more sharply. "I can't be expected to direct them in everything. That is the entire reason I rely on you."

Scott nodded. "I know. Genosha is still new; we need to keep everyone there safe too."

Erik pursed his lips and nodded slowly, though by that time, the two of them had arrived to the train station where their target was supposed to be. "I think," he said, "we can discuss this more when we get home."

Scott nodded quietly, though he was already turning it over in his head. "I just don't think that they can handle things like this."

"No," Erik said. "No, my most important missions I will always give to my most trusted allies."

Scott had to hide his smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Not that Erik was looking too closely once he found the train that their target was on.

They couldn't exactly sneak up on anyone, not with Erik's flair for the dramatic. He simply picked up the train car off the rails and made an opening, and both of them strode inside Scott knew how intimidating they looked; it was part of the reason Erik had him pattern his look after him. In purple capes, metal helmets… they looked the part of a unified show of force.

Well, that and when he was a kid, he really wanted a cape to go with the flying.

The man they were after was in the third row of seats, and Erik wasted no time in ensnaring him, wrapping metal around the man to carry him off. When someone stood up, Scott lifted the visor — he'd been working on his fine control, and even if he couldn't turn it off, he was much better at aiming. The resulting blast drew a line through the train windows before he dropped the visor down again.

"We aren't here for any of you," Scott said. "Stay out of this."

Erik smirked as he brought the man with them and then sealed the train car behind them — no one would be able to get out. A rescue crew would have to cut the passengers out, but they'd be fine.

But the man they'd grabbed ... Erik wasted no time in tossing him against the isolated train car, tightening the metal around him. "Tell me about the Sentinel program," Erik said, only tightening his grip when the man started to splutter.

Scott stepped back as Erik worked. He hated this part of things. He knew that it was necessary. They needed the information this man had. Still, Scott preferred to run interference. Deal with any security that came their way. Wait for Erik's signal to destroy this Sentinel program and then fly home.

What he hadn't been expecting was for four people in yellow to show up.

They were obviously mutants, judging by the full wings on one and the fact that another arrived skating on ice that he was obviously forming. There was one other boy and a girl, all wearing masks to obscure their identities as well. That had to mean that they knew the value of secrecy as well, in a world that killed mutants for what they were.

These were new players, and Scott couldn't help but be interested, striding forward to meet them. "You must be the X-Men," he said, thinking of the team Erik had met a few times. Scott had never run a mission that the X-Men had been involved in — mostly because once a lab was leveled, there wasn't much left to do, and he did more work running strategy and keeping Genosha safe. So he was intrigued, especially because they seemed… young.

From the way the rest of Erik's soldiers talked about the X-Men, Scott thought they were older, for some reason. But even with the masks on, they looked like they were his age, maybe. Smaller, more wiry.

"I didn't know Magneto had a kid," the boy with the ice said. Iceman. Now that he had the team name, he knew their codenames, too.

Scott smirked quietly, trying not to show too much pleasure. Even if Erik  _had_ moved his actual children to Genosha, it was nice — being relied on. Trusted. Felt a little less like he was a second-class part of the family. So when people made the connection between them, he didn't bother to correct them.

He held his hands out and shrugged. "There's a lot you don't know about my family," he said. And he did consider them to be just that. Even if Pietro didn't like him, he got along with Wanda. And Lorna had been a godsend since she moved to Genosha — someone to  _talk_ to.

"Yes, well, we do try hard not to look too hard into the personal lives of megalomaniacs," the stockier boy — Beast — said.

Scott shook his head at that. "You haven't done your research," he said. "That's not who he is. If you were smart, you'd see that."

"On the contrary," he said. "I've researched more than you'd think — though if a familial bond is indeed what we're seeing, then the need to continue and try to convince you of otherwise would be folly at best."

Scott let out a breath. "He said you were stubborn," he muttered before he straightened up a bit. "Maybe you haven't seen what I've seen. But there are  _so many_ mutants out there that are safer because of him. Because of us. Away from it all. Imprisonment. Experimentation. Murder." He shrugged. "I think it's great to see more mutants out there fighting back. I do. I'm more than happy to pick up the slack for the bigger things while you do. But don't insult him because of it."

For a moment, Beast sort of squinted at Scott as if he couldn't believe his ears, but he whole long moment of suspension was broken when one of the others let out an insulted sound from the back of this throat — and then whipped a snowball at Scott. "Magneto's kid or not, I'm not listening to  _propaganda._ "

Scott let out a scoffing noise and turned to leave. "Fine. Believe what you want. I've got work to do."

"You're like ... what? Forty? Fifty?" Iceman said as he rushed forward, but when Scott didn't do more than look annoyed — even just by the way he shook his head — the kid got mad and iced up the ground under him, freezing his feet in place. "You think we don't know what people have been doing to mutants? We know! But we also know that they're the minority. Most people aren't that evil."

Scott narrowed his eyes for a moment as he looked down at his feet. He let out a breath and then lifted the visor, breaking his feet free before he spun on his heel, letting off a stronger blast that knocked all four of them backwards, off their feet. They hit the wall, and Scott nodded when he saw that they were knocked silly — but they'd be okay.

"I don't want a fight," he said. "But stay away from my family." He tipped his chin up and then simply left to go meet up with Erik — though he didn't have to go far. It seemed that Erik had the information he needed and had simply been waiting, watching.

"I did tell you that the X-Men have already made up their minds," Erik said as Scott stepped onto the metal to fly with him.

"You did," Scott agreed. "But even if they don't understand the bigger picture, that's still ultimately good for us. Mutants helping other mutants — even if it's not as much as we need from them, it's still something. We can't be everywhere at once, you know."

Erik frowned thoughtfully for a moment and then shook his head, resting his hand on Scott's shoulder again. "You did everything right," he said. "And I'm glad to have such a staunch defender."

"I've seen the haven we're creating in Genosha," Scott said. "I believe the evidence of my eyes."

Erik nodded. "And you are right," he said after a long moment's pause, clearly thinking something over in his head. "It's not possible for us to be everywhere at once." He turned Scott's way. "I'd like you to focus on Genosha and its security. I'd rather trust that our people have such an eloquent defense of our aims than anything else."

Scott nodded. It made sense, after all: the priority was the mutants they rescued. "I'd still like to help where I can."

"Of course," Erik said in a rich, reassuring tone. "But you said yourself that you have trouble with our newer members." He smiled. "I think it's high time you stretched your wings, Scott. You don't need me over your shoulder anymore."

Scott couldn't help but grin at that as he nodded along, his thoughts already going a mile a minute as he considered what he could do if he really put his full-time focus on Genosha. He'd want it to feel safe, yes, but also more like a place to  _live_. "I'd want to run rescues too," he said suddenly. "People who can't get to Genosha on their own."

"Of course," Erik said, smirking to himself. It was exactly what he was hoping for anyway — a diversion from the X-Men as well as a way to manage his own many aims. Scott had always had a proclivity for optimism, and if he was allowed near the X-Men too often, that could be used against him. Better to let him stay on Genosha, where that optimism would serve them both in convincing mutants of their safety. "But anything I give you is your first priority."

"Of course," Scott said, just as quickly.

It was clear Scott liked the idea for how he was almost unconsciously nodding to himself, his arms crossed as he thought over what he'd like to do on his own — though it was no surprise to Erik when they got back to Genosha that the first thing he did was go home to find Erik's youngest daughter and talk to her. After all, ever since Lorna had arrived, the two had become fast friends.

Even more than that.

And Erik, of course, was willing to let Lorna explore a relationship with Scott for the sole reason that he knew Scott would do nothing to betray him.

That and Scott was under Erik's command, and if he decided the two of them were getting too involved, he could simply order Scott on a mission.

Lorna had known that Scott was going out with her father that afternoon, but she obviously hadn't been expecting him to be back so early, judging by the delighted smile she shot him when he got upstairs. "Quick trip, then?"

Scott shrugged. "We ran into the X-Men," he said. "But Erik got what he needed. He'll take the Brotherhood out to deal with the Sentinels."

"Not you?" Lorna asked with her eyebrows raised as she grabbed Scott's hand to pull him over to sit with her.

Scott shook his head. "He wants me to spend my focus here," he said. "On Genosha."

Lorna tipped her head to the side as she studied Scott, obviously trying to place whether or not he was disappointed. "I know he likes the missions you two run," she said gently. "He can trust you." She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Or he wouldn't let you within a hundred feet of me."

Scott had to smirk at that as he set his visor aside, switching it out for his glasses instead. "Yeah, but I think that's why he's pointing me this way," he said. "Genosha… it's going to be so much bigger than this one day. We'll have thousands of mutants — and we need to be able to keep them safe. From the outside, from each other…" He paused when he saw Lorna smiling at him. "What?"

"You sound so much like him sometimes," Lorna said. "And then sometimes you sound like that skinny kid I met when we came here and you told me you wanted to be a hero."

Scott flushed slightly. "I am one," he argued. "All the mutants we've saved—"

"I know," Lorna said, shaking her head at him before she simply scooted over so she could lean on his shoulder. "I've heard you say it enough times. Sometimes I think you think a hero is measured by the sheer volume of people who didn't get hurt."

"I think that's part of it, yeah."

"Only part," Lorna said. She peeked up at him and then stole a kiss. "I'm glad you'll be sticking around more."

Scott had to smirk. "Are we sure this isn't actually a plan of your dad's to make sure nobody else can come in and sweep you off your feet?"

"Well, we'll have to see. I think you're the only boy he's let me  _look_ at since I was, oh, ten."

"Maybe he hasn't figured out that leaving me here means leaving me with you more often," Scott teased.

"Well then don't tell him," Lorna said with a smirk before she curled in again. "But for what it's worth, I think you'll be great. You always are."

* * *

On the other hand, the X-Men had picked themselves up after the train station incident and headed back to Westchester honestly annoyed and frustrated, especially since this new player was absolutely not someone they'd seen before.

Jean's hands were in fists at her side as she walked along with the boys, positively fuming. As if it wasn't bad enough that she couldn't get into this guy's head — he tossed them like ragdolls and very likely fractured what little confidence Bobby had in what it was they were  _trying_ to do. She wanted to wring this guy's neck. And she didn't realize how much she was projecting it, either.

"Hey, it's okay," Warren said, grabbing her hand. "We all do."

"Just makes me want to yank that bucket off of Magneto's head and make him wrap that guy up in metal just to see how  _he_ likes being handled that way. I swear to  _God_ … the next time we see that creep …"

Warren pulled on her hand to turn her his way and kissed her. "Okay, so we'll all stand back and be amazed when that happens. Sounds good."

She let her shoulders drop as she looked up at him for that. "You don't have to make  _fun_ , Warren. I  _could_ do that."

"I wasn't making fun," he said. "I really would stand back and be amazed. Serves him right."

Jean smirked at him for just a moment then the smile dropped entirely. "Bobby, I swear, if you say one stupid thing right now, I'll put you to sleep until you wet yourself."

Bobby quickly held up both hands at that. "Hey. I… am not going to poke that with a ten-foot pole with  _that_ hanging over my head."

Jean tipped her nose up and leaned into Warren slightly. It was always nice when Bobby stopped when he was ahead, and she didn't miss the fact that every time she leaned in, Warren's wings would flutter slightly. Which was a nice thing, really. It certainly helped his whole 'Angel' persona. And it got Jean to relax a little bit — though that all went up in smoke when they came up to Charles and all she could do was to just … cross her arms over her chest and give him a look that spoke volumes.

 _I wasn't aware that this son even existed,_ Charles projected to her.

 _I'm just … irritated_ , Jean replied.  _I want to get that stupid helmet off of_ both  _of them._

 _I'd also like to talk with them,_ Charles said.  _From your memory of the encounter, it's not likely that we'll be able to change his mind when he thinks so highly of his father. That's a difficult thing_ —  _seeing the faults in your family._

Jean nodded her head in agreement. "You know, Charles, I think maybe a cup of tea is in order. But I also think all of us need to go to get a once-over just in case. Concussions all around, I'm sure."

"Of course," Charles said with a nod.  _And Jean_ —  _the next time you run into this young man, see what you can do. We don't even have a name to work with._

 _I'll try,_  she promised.  _But it's not like he seemed very open about anything._

_No, certainly he seemed to have a 'shoot first' approach._

_That's fine,_ Jean replied.  _I'm going to pick him up and turn him toward the other guys next time I see him if he wants to be like that._

Charles couldn't help but shake his head with a little chuckle.  _It would certainly be effective._

"They're doing it again," Bobby said quietly. "The whole … secret discussions where no one has a poker face."

"You seem surprised, somehow," Hank replied in his own quiet tone.

"Only that they still haven't figured out how to control their expressions," Bobby said before he turned toward Hank and made the most exaggerated faces he could.

Hank chuckled at that and pulled Bobby under his arm. "Come on; we should check ourselves over for concussions. I'm sure eventually Jean will join us when she's finished with her quiet conversation. It's impolite to interrupt."

"Is it as impolite as having secret conversations to begin with?" Bobby asked — loudly.

Hank grinned even wider. "Of course not, but  _someone_ must have decorum, Robert."


	3. Family Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Scott loves his new project and his new family, even if not everyone in his new family loves him :P

 

* * *

Scott was like a man possessed with his project now that he had been given a little bit of free rein in Genosha.

At first, he was focused on the security of the island itself, going over the plans a few times and trying to find holes in their defenses, even going so far as to check the perimeter several times himself. But even when that was done, Scott was brimming with ideas.

The first was obvious: he wanted to do more of a push to make sure the world knew Genosha was an  _option_. He wanted more mutants to know they could come there — not just the ones that had been liberated by the missions they ran. It was an interesting conversation, telling Erik that he wanted to do more of a  _publicity_ push. Especially since Erik knew Scott had  _always_ preferred to be quieter, acting rather than speaking.

But how were they supposed to be a haven for mutants in trouble if the mutants around the world didn't even know about them?

Still, even with that push on, Scott was already looking ahead to when they had more mutants on the island, trying to keep them safe and to make them  _feel_ safe as well.

The first part of that was to set up a voluntarily perimeter watch. The island's security would catch just about anything incoming long before it was even visible, but Scott knew from experience that sometimes… you needed to  _feel_ like you were helping.

It wasn't an empty gesture; Scott knew that the Sentinels he and Erik had been investigating before were high-tech, and there was every possibility that they could sneak past even the best of security measures. A line-of-sight security team might be the last line of defense they needed.

But it wasn't so necessary that it could only be completed by trusted lieutenants, and that was the whole point. Scott wanted to give anyone who came a chance to feel like they were helping. Even if they didn't have the kinds of powers that Erik wanted for his team.

The last part of the push, then, was something that Scott needed a little more help with.

He didn't trust Erik's Brotherhood to do anything like enforcement on the island itself; they weren't compassionate enough. And Scott was honestly worried that if they had any power over the mutants on Genosha, it would go to their head. Sure, he understood what Erik was saying about allowing them to be soldiers — but that kind of aggression and force didn't have a place on Genosha.

Scott knew watching the Brotherhood that not every mutant that came to Genosha was going to be able to adjust to the peaceful haven they'd built. There would be problems, fights, that sort of thing. So Scott wanted to have a small force — nothing too big or too aggressive, just enough to keep the peace on Genosha.

He set up a line that any mutant on the island could call if they needed help, but while he could take a lot of those calls himself for now, that wasn't feasible as the population grew.

Which was what led him to track down Wanda and Pietro to ask for their help. He knew that Erik wouldn't allow Lorna to get involved, even if Scott knew that she could do far more than Erik let her. But those two… he trusted them more than he trusted the others.

Wanda seemed to be open to the idea — she agreed with Scott that the Brotherhood shouldn't have any more power on the island than necessary. But Pietro just sort of glared at Scott for a while, his arms crossed over his chest.

"And why should we listen to you?" he asked at last.

"What?"

"Why should we listen to you? You're, what, sixteen—"

"Seventeen," Scott said.

"Seventeen, ooh, that makes all the difference, doesn't it," Pietro said with a little sneer.

Scott let out a breath and closed his eyes behind his glasses for a moment. "Look, I came to you because you both are better than the 'soldiers' Erik is using," he said slowly.

"Obviously," Pietro said.

"I'm asking you for your help, Pietro," Scott said. "I'm trying to  _help_. And I can't do it by myself."

"Dad seems to think you can," Pietro shot back.

Scott tipped his head back. "Look, I didn't ask him for this," he said. "He told me this is where he wanted me, and I'm just trying to keep people safe." When Pietro still had his arms crossed, Scott shook his head. "Please. I can't do it by myself. And I know you can get anywhere on the island much faster than I can."

"Obviously."

"So why not use that?" Scott said. "You really want everyone on Genosha to think you're just part of that blunt force trauma that calls itself a team?"

At that, Pietro broke into an honest grin and even laughed. "Hey, that's not a bad description."

"You and Wanda are better than that," Scott said. "I know that's what Erik has asked you to do — be part of that team — but when you're here, I think you can do better. Be a hero and not just a soldier."

Pietro leaned back as he considered Scott. It was obvious that he was tempted by the idea — especially the chance to do more than Erik had assigned him to do and to really  _prove_ himself. "I have to admit, that sounds nice."

"I'd really like to let you and Wanda run this force," Scott said. "I'd do what I can to help, and I'll set up a reporting system so that we can deal with repeat cases and people who keep abusing their power. But I'd really like to focus on bringing people in myself. Getting them settled. Making sure they get here safely. That kind of thing."

"So you get them here and we keep them safe," Pietro said.

"That's the idea," Scott said. He took a deep breath. "Look, I know it's weird. And I know that I'm not related to you and there's no reason for you to like me. I'm not asking you to — I just want you to trust me and work with me. And maybe after that, we can get along a little better."

"Don't count on it," Pietro said, though he did nod quietly. "I'll work with you, but don't expect me to treat you like part of the family. I don't care who you're dating."

"That's not—"

"You wouldn't have this job if you weren't," Pietro said.

Scott shook his head. "No, I wouldn't be allowed anywhere near Lorna if I didn't work with Erik as closely as I do. It starts with trust, not the other way around."

Pietro narrowed his eyes. "Just like that?"

"Just like that," Scott said.

Pietro narrowed his eyes a little further, then broke into a smirk. "Alright, I'll play sheriff for a while. Sounds fun."

"Thank you," Scott said.

"Yeah, don't get used to it."

Scott nodded to himself and then headed out with his hands in his pockets. It wasn't exactly enthusiastic support, but he did know that Erik's twins had more heart than the rest of the Brotherhood combined, even if Pietro didn't like him.

"He's just frustrated that  _you're_ somehow the favorite son," Wanda said when she saw him pass — recognizing the familiar look on Scott's face that seemed to be a constant whenever he and Pietro dealt with each other.

"I'm not," Scott said. "He's not — he's not my dad." He let his shoulders drop. As nice as that would have been, he knew it was the case: Erik had given him everything, and Scott was grateful. But he had never felt comfortable calling Erik 'dad'. It didn't feel right. Erik had always been clear: Scott was an ally, a lieutenant. Those weren't exactly words that suggested anything familial.

"He wasn't ours for a long time either," Wanda said. "And now that we know who he is, can you imagine what it was like to get here and find out he'd taken someone  _else_ in?"

"I know, believe me," Scott said. And he did — it was part of why he was trying to bring the twins into his plans. He didn't want things to be more complicated than they already were.

"I'll talk to him," Wanda promised. "I know it's not your fault, and honestly, my brother needs to learn to get over himself."

Scott smirked. "I hadn't noticed."

"Uh-huh." Wanda shook her head, then let out a long breath and regarded Scott carefully. "To tell you the truth, I'm glad my father has you around. He's been so focused on that team… I think he needs someone to make sure this place isn't neglected in the meantime."

"I just want people to feel safe," Scott said.

"Me too," Wanda said.

Scott nodded and put a hand on her arm. "I really appreciate it."

"You just keep doing what you're doing. My brother will come around when he realizes you're not  _trying_ to take his place."

"I'd like not to at all," Scott said. "I had a little brother growing up, and I know how obnoxious that can be, and I'm not trying to do that." He smirked. "It's weird for me too."

"I'm sure," Wanda said. She crossed her arms and leaned back, looking a lot like her brother in that moment, though obviously more open. "So, if you're leaving us in charge of policing, more or less, what are you going to do?"

"I'll help with that as well," Scott promised. "But I'm trying to put together a system — keep track of everyone here and what they can do. Probably easy to figure out who had a fight, for example, if there's frog slime…"

"You really don't like them, do you?" Wanda chuckled.

"I think Erik has a lot more patience than I do."

"It's not patience," Wanda laughed. "He just sees their powers, and he's more willing than you are to trade that power for their personalities."

"I guess I'm just picky," Scott said with a smirk.

Wanda laughed. "It's not a bad thing," she said. "I can't stand them either."

"Maybe he'll listen to you more than me," Scott said. "I've tried to tell him that."

"Wasn't it around the same time you met the X-Men?"

"I wasn't trying to draw comparisons," Scott muttered. "Even if I was, considering the fact that one of them responded to me trying to  _explain myself_ by throwing a snowball at me doesn't exactly make them an attractive option either."

"I did hear about that," Wanda said with a smile. "And your defense of our family."

Scott flushed a bit. "I'm not trying to muscle in—"

"Scott, I don't mind," Wanda promised. "I don't think it's fair to tell you you can't have a family when we're all you have."

Scott raised both eyebrows at that before he nodded and fell silent, not entirely sure how to respond.

Wanda uncrossed her arms and shook her head, gesturing for him to sit with her. "I didn't know you had a brother," she said after a long moment of silence.

"Alex," Scott said. "I told Lorna—"

"I don't exactly go asking my sister about her boyfriend," Wanda said. "At least, not about things like that. I thought you were an orphan."

"Someone else adopted Alex," Scott explained. "And I haven't really had the chance to go looking for him since your father broke me out of the Home for Foundlings."

"Do you think he'll find his way here?" Wanda asked.

"I don't even know if he's a mutant," Scott said. "I haven't seen him since I was ten."

"I hope he does," Wanda said. "It's a nice feeling, being able to find your family."

Scott nodded quietly. "That's… part of why I'm so glad your father asked me to run things here," he admitted. "There's a lot of people out there like me… people with nowhere to go. Having someplace to belong made all the difference to me."

"Then I hope you get to do everything you want to do," Wanda said.


	4. Robot Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Scott is really putting his all into Genosha, and that's driving a wedge between him and some important people in his life.

 

* * *

The new push to call for mutants to come to Genosha had only been going on for a few weeks before the first smuggler's ship arrived on the shores, full of mutants who had paid the ship's captain to divert course.

At first, Scott was thrilled to see the ship. This was exactly what he had hoped for — more people coming to seek shelter.

It was when he went to greet the ship that he saw the state of the mutants who had arrived. Every one of them was malnourished and tired, and it had Scott's temper flaring.

He didn't say anything at first, because he was more interested in getting the mutants off the ship. A lot of them needed help, too weak from the long trip. They helped each other, and Scott carried a few, including one little girl who was physically mutated, about four, and obviously malnourished.

She had her arms and legs wrapped around Scott as he carried her off the boat, and since she was the last off, Scott made sure to point at the captain of the boat — who couldn't see Scott's glare. "Don't leave until I've had a word with you," he said.

"We've got places to be."

"Leave without talking to me and I will shoot your boat out of the water," Scott snapped — which was at least enough to get the captain to pause. "This could be a lucrative business for you, but there are rules. And I'm only going to say them once — so you'd better make sure you tell everyone else."

"You can't—"

"I can," Scott said. "I run security on this island, and no one comes in or out without my say-so. So, do you want to leave, or would you rather be permanent guests?" When the captain simply glared at him, Scott tipped his chin up before he carried the little girl off.

He was still glaring to himself as he looked for the girl's mother — who had also needed to be carried off — before he heard the little girl whisper, "What's gonna happen now?"

Scott let out a breath and tried to relax his shoulders. "You're safe," he promised. "Now, we're going to get you and your mother something to eat and a place to stay."

The girl nodded quietly and picked her head up to peer at Scott. "You got a robot head."

Scott broke into a smile at that. "I need a little help with my powers," he explained. "My helmet helps."

"Oh." The girl tipped her head, her large, cat-like eyes seeming to see through him as her fluffy tail swayed behind her.

Scott tapped the front of his visor. "My eyes send out blasts, so this helps me see without blasting anyone."

"Oh." The girl nodded. "I have weird eyes too."

"They're not weird," Scott promised. "I think they look pretty cool."

"Really?"

"Really," Scott said with a nod — unable to stop his smile when she just seemed to grin even wider. He set her down beside her mother. "You'll have your own room, and no one in Genosha goes hungry, alright?"

"Really?"

Scott nodded and leaned forward slightly. "Now, I'm going to tell you a secret," he whispered. "Everyone here calls me Cyclops, but if you get in trouble… ask for Scott. I'll come find you."

"That's your name?"

He nodded. "It's a secret," he said. "So only use it if you're in trouble, alright?"

"Like a secret password?"

"Exactly," Scott said, tapping the end of her nose and getting a grin.

"Okay. Thanks, Robot Head!"

Scott couldn't help but laugh at that, ruffling her hair before he left the group to themselves, giving them the chance to eat and take stock of themselves in privacy. He'd be back to make sure that everyone got squared away, but first…

He headed back to the ship, glad to see that they hadn't left yet. He didn't want to have to go after them. He tipped his chin up and took a moment to readjust his cape from the way the little girl had crumpled it while she hung on before he strode up to the captain and seized him by the front of his shirt to slam him into the cabin.

"Let me make this clear," Scott said. "You will be well compensated for bringing mutants to Genosha. You won't take a penny of their money, and you will feed them and care for them, and I will make sure you're paid. If you hurt them or mistreat them or take advantage of them in any way, I  _will_ hear about it, and I'll make sure you pay for it."

A few of the crew members came toward Scott, but he turned and blasted them back, knocking them out, before he turned back to the captain. "Spread the word. Anyone who thinks they can get away with mistreating mutants will deal with the consequences."

"And what are you gonna do about it, freak?" the captain glowered back. "You want these people so badly, fine. I ain't getting paid enough to deal with crazy."

Scott narrowed his eyes before he lifted the visor once more, blasting a hole in the cabin just beside the captain's head. "I'm the guy who will sink your ship if you keep treating mutants this way." He tipped his chin up. "I'm also the one who will make sure you're paid. Well. So make sure to spread  _that_ word too. These people are precious to me. Treat them that way."

The captain narrowed his eyes. "You've got some nerve."

"You don't want to push me," Scott said. "I'm trying to give you a chance."

"Is that what you call threatening me?"

"You deserve more than that for how you've treated these people," Scott said. He let the captain fall and started to walk away before he turned again and hit the captain hard, sending him sprawling.

Scott stalked off the ship, his hands still clenched in fists at his sides. If he didn't need the captain to deliver his message…

He let out a huff, though when he rejoined the group of refugees, he was sure to school his expression a bit. He could hide so much behind the helmet, thankfully. As long as he kept a smile on, he could buy himself a little time to calm down.

"I'm sorry the journey here was so rough," Scott said. "But I can promise you — Genosha is nothing like the rest of the world. No one is going to treat you that way here."

"That's what the rumors say, anyway," one of the refugees said.

"Hopefully, we can live up to that," Scott said. "It's my job to make sure everyone here is safe." He glanced toward the little girl he'd talked to before and then nodded. "My name is Cyclops. Ask for me if you run into any trouble, but it's my honest hope that you won't." He spread his hands out wide. "We really are trying to make this a utopia."

* * *

When several weeks had passed and there was no sign of another ship, Scott had to wonder if his demands hadn't scared off smugglers entirely.

It was simple strategy: the carrot and the stick. He'd made it clear what would happen if the smugglers crossed him. Now, he needed to make it clear that there were rewards worth the trip. Erik had an expensive treasury, the loot of so many evil men. And when Scott had explained his thought process, he'd been willing to give Scott the chance — if only because they did  _need_ the people the smugglers brought.

So, Scott left Genosha, traveling by boat to the nearest dock. He wasn't surprised to find that he wasn't exactly welcome when he arrived. But that was actually helpful to his aims. The captains and crews that seemed to give him the most distance and the most sneers — those were the ones that weren't worth talking to.

But when he did find someone who only looked the other way, he went right to that ship to speak to that captain.

"Do you know who I am?"

The captain nodded. "Of course," he said.

"Good. That saves me time," Scott said. He reached into his pocket to produce the money he had brought with him — plenty of it. "I want to hire you."

The captain frowned between Scott and the money. "To do what?"

"To bring mutants to Genosha," he said. "This is your compensation — and there will be more when you arrive."

"I know what happens to captains who sail to Genosha."

"The captain that I dealt with starved his passengers," Scott said. He crossed his arms as he considered the captain before him. "It's a simple transaction. Anybody who passes it up would be a fool. All I'm asking is that mutants be treated with dignity when you transport them, and I'll reward you more than enough for your efforts."

"It's been my experience that if a trade seems too good to be true, it usually is."

Scott spread his hands out. "It's a good deal. And to be honest, I'm hoping to make it with more than just you. But no one will come if they're too scared to come."

The captain held his gaze before he finally nodded. "And how do I know you'll keep your word?"

"Because if I don't, Genosha can never work as a refuge for mutants in trouble." Scott held out his hand for the captain to shake. "That's all I want."

The captain took Scott's hand and met his gaze as well as he could with the visor on. "I'll hold you to that."

Scott nodded once and then turned to leave, though he hadn't quite cleared the docks before he saw four newcomers and frowned. He didn't see what business the X-Men had there … until he saw that there was a young mutant talking to the four of them.

The little group was gathered up tightly, and it didn't look like they were paying much attention to him as one of them was administering first aid and Marvel Girl seemed to be taking the lead in discussing … whatever it was with the young lady.

Scott paused to consider the situation before he decided he would at least offer the girl a chance to choose. "You know," he said as he approached the group, "I'm heading back to Genosha myself."

Marvel Girl smiled up at him — though it didn't reach her eyes at all. "Actually, we were just telling Fern that we're far more in favor of  _education_ and peaceful coexistence with humans — instead of running away from them and hiding."

"Not everyone can fight; that's why we built Genosha. For  _peace_."

"And most people are entirely misinformed. Hence the  _education_ part," she replied. "We have a wonderful school. You might do well to try it out sometime." But then she paused and tipped her head. "I'm sorry. That wasn't very kind."

Scott narrowed his eyes behind his visor for a moment. "I'm only trying to help."

"I know," she said. "And so are we. Only we're not offering a weeks-long sea voyage before her injuries are tended to." She got to her feet and tipped her chin up. "We can have her under a licensed doctor's care in a matter of hours, and if she is that drawn to the allure of your island… she can go."

Scott frowned for a long time before he finally nodded once. "I'm not going to force anyone to come. I just thought I'd offer. But I'm glad to see you helping her, believe it or not."

She raised an eyebrow at that, not even trying to hide that she didn't believe a word of it as she put her arm around Fern's shoulders and led the young woman off while the other X-Men acted as a barrier.

Scott frowned at the move and held his hands out. "I'm not here to fight."

"No, that'd be bad press for you, wouldn't it?" Angel said. "And seeing as you're offering a free one-way ticket, that wouldn't be very good."

"I'm trying to give people a place to  _live_ ," Scott said.

"And we're trying to ensure they don't have to give up their whole lives to do that safely," Beast replied.

"And I hope you succeed," Scott said. "But for everyone that falls through the cracks, I'll make sure they're safe too."

"Or else, right?" Iceman said, looking more irritated than he had before.

Scott narrowed his eyes at that. "I'm not going to let people get away with starving  _refugees_."

"He doesn't know what's going on, guys," Angel said. "Let it go. We have more important things to do." He ruffled his wings as he turned, and more than a few heads followed his movement through the crowd at that. Long before he reached Marvel Girl, he had a small following of his own.

Scott let his shoulders drop as he looked over the crowd. It was clear that some of them, with crosses around their necks, were absolutely drawn to Angel. But the others… He shook his head. "I'm going back to Genosha. Anyone who wants to come with me is welcome to. I won't take anyone's money, and I'll make sure everyone is well-cared for. That's all that I came to do." He turned on his own heel, and there were a few people who followed him as well — several who had been trying to get to the island in the first place but hadn't had any luck finding a ship.

He was quiet for most of the journey out, though in sight of the passengers, he did his best to be reassuring, to explain more of the finer details of where they'd be staying, what the island was like — any questions that people had.

But he was thinking a lot about what the X-Men had said when he got back to Genosha, and the first chance he got, he went to Erik to talk to him.

"We need to be doing more," he said without preamble. "It's not enough to keep people safe and give them a place to live. We need schools; we need something for people to  _do_. A lot of these refugees are coming with kids — that's  _why_ they're coming, for a better future. We need to do more to give it to them."

Erik raised both eyebrows as he looked Scott over. "What brought this on?"

"The X-Men—"

"The X-Men have no business making decisions in regards to Genosha," Erik said sharply.

Scott frowned and almost took a step back, then narrowed his eyes. "The X-Men are offering their own kind of sanctuary. They have a  _school_ , Erik. And they are more easily accessible. The least we can do is learn from them and offer education."

"And who do you propose would run this school?" Erik asked. "You are already busy."

"I'm sure we can find teachers," Scott said. "Mutants are coming from all walks of life." He held his hands out. "Please, Erik. You can't let these kids come here and waste away. That's not what Genosha is supposed to be about."

"And unless we can trust them implicitly with the education of fragile young minds that have been exposed to trauma and hatred, then we simply can't allow that to happen," Erik replied. "Think of how devastating it would be to the life we're building should the wrong person step in to mold them. Or worse yet, what would happen should one of our teacher refugees be revealed to be a spy."

"So we let the children that come here waste away?" Scott said, gesturing with one hand toward the window. "On the off chance that the teachers don't see things the same way we do?"

Erik let out a breath and watched him for a long moment. He had always known that Scott had a proclivity for idealism, and while he wanted to keep the boy away from the X-Men, clearly, this was an argument he felt passionate about. And the boy did have a point — at least, enough of a point that Erik knew it would be better to give him what he wanted rather than risk allowing him to drift toward the X-Men.

Finally, he let out a breath. "Find a way to screen them. Get someone qualified to delve into their pasts — or better still, get a telepath to find out faster."

Scott let his shoulders drop. "Thank you. I know this will make Genosha better — long-term."

"Of course it will," Erik said, smirking lightly. "And it's simply a matter of time."

Scott nodded and then straightened up slightly. "I think we should be able to bring in more refugees in the next few months. I found a captain who was willing to take the risk — and when he sees that we're good to our word, more will follow."

Erik smiled a bit wider at that and rested his hand on Scott's shoulder. "I knew I chose the right person for the job."

Scott couldn't help but grin back at him. "Just you wait," he said. "In a few years, we'll be  _thriving_ here. The envy of the rest of the world."

* * *

Scott had thrown himself into the project of trying to improve Genosha. For weeks, he had been talking to everyone on the island, trying to find out who had done what in their previous lives. Artists, musicians, teachers — he wanted to give them the chance to make life on the island not only bearable but  _enjoyable_.

It was time-consuming work, even when he did find a telepath to screen the teachers. Add to that the work he was doing meeting incoming refugees and working with Wanda and Pietro on keeping everyone safe… he hardly had any time to catch his breath.

Which was why when he was tired enough to sleep in one Sunday morning, Lorna came to  _him_ instead of waiting for him to slow down long enough to find her.

"Are you ever going to have a life again now that you're the lieutenant governor or whatever you want to call yourself?" Lorna teased.

"I'm not calling myself anything," Scott said.

"Sure." She shook her head at him and rested her hand on top of his. "Really, Scott. I haven't seen you in days."

"I know; I'm sorry," Scott said. "I've just been so busy…"

"I know." Once more, Lorna shook her head. "You're so much like him."

"What?"

"You're consumed," she said. "This island… this project is eating you up."

Scott frowned at that and took a moment to lean over and kiss her forehead. "I really am sorry that I haven't taken more time. As soon as the school is set up—"

"Then there will be something else," Lorna said. "There will always be something else."

"Lorna, I'm just trying to—"

"—to help, I know," she said. "You're always trying to help."

"Lorna…"

"It's fine," she said. "I don't blame you. But I don't want to date someone like him." She placed her other hand on top of his gently. "You're amazing. And I enjoy talking to you. But I can't do that."

Scott closed his eyes and let out all of his breath. "I'm really sorry."

"Don't be," she said. "I'm glad Genosha has you around. I just don't want to have to share my boyfriend with an entire island."

"That's fair," Scott said, though it was obvious in the set of his shoulders that he was disappointed.

Lorna leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Don't get lost, Scott. If you need someone to talk to, you can still find me."


	5. Hello, Jean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the chapter title really just says it all.

 

* * *

Despite Lorna's warnings, Scott found himself diving further and further into his work on Genosha. In a matter of months, the school was starting to get up and running, and there were concerts, art shows, barbecues… the island was really starting to feel like a neighborhood, a community.

He almost felt bad that he didn't have time to leave the island anymore, because it seemed like things were getting worse out there at the same time things were getting better on the island. There were a couple dozen refugees with the latest ship, some of them wearing the recognizable 'M' on their faces or arms, and Scott had to shake his head. It felt like no matter how much they pushed back, mutants were still getting abused, cut down.

Scott directed most of the group to where they could find new accommodations and then went further into the ship to help with the inevitable few who hadn't made it to Genosha on their own two feet. There was always someone — beaten down or sick or suffering from hunger, thirst, exhaustion. Not from the ship's crew, not after Scott had made it clear that wouldn't be tolerated — but from everything they had been through before that.

There were a couple kids who weren't as hurt as they were scared, and Scott gave them as reassuring a smile as was possible when most of his face was still covered before he crouched down and held out a hand.

"Hey, you're alright. Welcome to Genosha," he said gently. "Did you come here with your parents?"

When both of them shook their heads, Scott nodded. "Alright, that's fine. We've got a few kids your age that came by themselves." He smiled lightly. "You're very brave to come all the way here on your own."

"Nuh-uh," the older one, a girl with braids, insisted. "I take care of my brother."

"I see that," Scott said, the smile widening. "You're a great big sister."

"Uh-huh."

When it was clear that the kids were still staying a bit back from Scott, he let his shoulders drop. "Hey, it's alright," he said. "This is just to help me see, alright?" He flipped the visor up, eyes tightly closed, so they could see that he did, in fact, have a face. "I can't open my eyes without it because of my powers."

"Okay," the girl said, but her little brother leaned forward when Scott put the visor back down.

"I got gloves," the boy whispered, showing Scott his gloves before he pulled one off to reveal the webbed fingers.

"You don't have to hide here," Scott promised. "I only wear this because I need to. No one is going to laugh at your fingers."

"Or get mad at me?"

"No one will get mad at you," Scott swore. "And if anyone gives you any grief, come find me, alright? Find someone in charge and tell them Scott said you could talk to him."

"That's your name?"

"That's my name," he said with a nod. "Most people call me Cyclops, though, since I just have this—" he tapped the visor. "—to see through. But if the people in charge know you know my name, they'll know we're friends, and I can find you and help, alright?"

Both of the kids nodded at that. "Okay."

Scott nodded and got to his feet before he urged them forward. "Go ahead. I'll come check on you later, alright?"

The kids waved at him before they headed off, and Scott waited until they were gone before he went through the ship, making sure to check each room and hold to be sure no one had been left behind. It was common enough that he wasn't surprised when he did find someone — an older man who looked like he was simply exhausted, lying on a cot in the corner.

It looked like he was still breathing, and Scott frowned as he crouched down to check the man's vitals. He shook his arm lightly. "Hey, you alright?"

When the man opened his eyes, Scott could see a red glow that was almost familiar in the split second before the old man threw out his hand, and Scott hit the wall hard enough that he was seeing stars. The man got to his feet, his head tipped to the side.

"I see," he said. "That ridiculous thing is for telepathic interference." He let out a derisive noise before Scott felt his feet leave the floor again.

Scott reached automatically for the visor to flip it open, but when he hit the wall, his hands were splayed out at his sides, and he couldn't move them. "Even if you get past me, you won't get past my team on the island. We don't tolerate mutants attacking other mutants," Scott bit out.

The man simply chuckled. "Scott, what on earth makes you think I have any interest in that ridiculous refugee camp of yours?" he asked.

Scott's eyes widened for only a moment before he sneered. "I don't know who you are—"

"Don't worry," the man said, producing a small syringe as he spoke, "you'll remember, I'm sure."

* * *

When Scott woke up, his head still felt a little heavy… but there was no visor weighing him down. It was the heaviness of drugs, not the helmet.

He kept his eyes squeezed shut and frowned, realizing as well that he was missing the rest of his uniform too. So right from the start, being blind and in his underwear wasn't the best start to things.

He decided to risk peeking his eyes open for just a second, but when there wasn't any resulting red glow, he frowned and looked around. There must have been a dampener up… not that he was complaining for the moment. At least he could see.

He glanced around to see that he was in what could probably be described as a recovery ward. It smelled medicinal, but there wasn't any equipment in sight beyond two medical beds. A quick check of himself revealed a few new wounds, too. There was a cotton ball in the crook of his elbow, so there must have been a blood draw. And the pulling sensation in his abdomen was concerning as well as the wraps there and around one leg.

He glanced across to the other bed and narrowed his eyes when he realized that it was occupied. He shifted to see better and frowned — he didn't recognize the girl in the bed near his. She was still asleep, though he could see similar wrappings on her.

"Hey, you okay?" he called out, though when she didn't stir, he shifted a little more. If he could have gone to check on her, he would have… but there were leather straps at his wrists and ankles that kept him from doing more than shifting his sitting position.

He tried calling out a few more times, but when it was clear that she was completely out of it, he simply took a deep breath and tried to figure a way out of there. With the fact that he couldn't get to his feet or use his optic blast, though...

He had to wonder what was going on — since there wasn't much else to consider in the meantime. It was obvious someone had done…  _something_ to him while he was asleep. An IV or a blood draw… some kind of medical procedure, maybe. And the girl was similarly wrapped…

He didn't know who she was, but she didn't look like someone who would get caught up in this kind of thing. She had long red hair that was sort of splayed everywhere on the pillow behind her head, and she looked almost peaceful sleeping there. And he had to admit… she was  _very_ pretty.

He just didn't know why someone had chosen him and this pretty girl to… do… whatever it was that had happened to them.

"Ah, you're awake." Footsteps echoed the room as a tall, pale man strode in. He made his way over to the girl first, then he turned to Scott with glowing red eyes — along with a glowing diamond in the center of his forehead. "Pity your match hasn't woken up as well." He turned toward the girl and gestured grandly. "Isn't she spectacular, my boy?"

Scott frowned and tried to sit up straighter, but he was still having trouble moving. "What's going on?" he demanded. "What do you want?"

"Such a tone," he said, tutting as he made his way over to a desk. "That's not of your concern yet. I simply had to check the helixes ... explore the possibilities ... and ensure that you both are in top health." He shook his head. "Such different lives you lead. Yet so similar in spite of it."

"What do you mean it's not my concern?" Scott said with a glare, then gestured to himself. "What did you do?"

"Mr. Summers, I've guided your entire life — your entire being — for longer than you could even imagine. Whatever I do — it's for your own benefit."

Scott shook his head. "No," he said. "If you knew anything about me, you'd know I've got my own path — helping mutants."

"Yes, and a rather ambitious task ahead of you, I'm sure," he said. "I have no plans to interrupt your 'work'. My only concern is the advancement of homo superior as a species. And you and your lovely friend here are a key part of that advancement."

Scott frowned at that, glancing to the sleeping girl. "What… who is she?" he asked despite himself.

"Another that I've watched for generations as they came into being," he said, looking almost excited. "Generations to reach this point."

Scott shook his head and tried to push himself up. "So you've just been stalking us… you're sick," he said.

The man looked irritated at that. "Don't be so simple about it, Scott. This is the culmination of my life's work. Nothing so trivial as  _stalking_."

"Then you're going to have to be a little more specific," Scott said with his eyes narrowed. "As far as I can tell, you just kidnapped me and this girl and ... what… surgery? Something's going on here."

He chuckled at that. "Willful. The fact is that between the two of you … the potential is astounding. The perfect genetic match to create a new mutant more powerful than any that have walked this dull earth."

Whatever Scott had been expecting to hear, it definitely wasn't that, and he stared openly at the man before he started to unconsciously shake his head. "That's not… you can't… what…"

"Oh, don't fret," he said, still sounding far too amused for Scott's liking. "It's too early still. Perhaps in a few more years …"

"You'll, what, kidnap us again? Pass," Scott said.

"You act as though you have a say," he said, returning with a needle and syringe.

Scott automatically moved back until he hit the edge of the bed and the headboard. "You can't just… you can't just expect me to…"

The man looked over at Scott with a smirk. "It makes no difference to me if you're a willing participant or not."

"It makes a big damn difference to me!" Scott said, his eyes wide and his voice much higher than he meant it to be. He tried not to lose his cool if he could help it — Erik was big on appearances — but…. This was a whole new level of not okay.

"Don't concern yourself, my boy. We have far to go before we reach that particular level." The man chuckled to himself before he pressed Scott's arm flat. Scott tried to pull back, but he couldn't do anything with the way he was pinned… he could only watch as the man stuck the needle in — only to draw more blood. "If the idea is so repulsive to you, I'll simply go back to making sure that you're not conscious for our visits," the man said.

"Go back… how long have you…" Scott narrowed his eyes as a thought occurred to him. "You… were you working with Dr. Pearson?"

At that, the stranger chuckled — sounding far more amused than he had been before. "You haven't figured it out yet." He shook his head, holding the tube of blood up to the light. "There is no Dr. Pearson."

Scott stared at him before he started to unconsciously shake his head. "You were dead. Erik killed you."

"Hardly," he said in a low rumble. "I've more gifts than that."

Scott shook his head again, trying not to show his panic, though that was hard without the visor and when there was nothing hiding the rise and fall of his chest. But when the man simply ignored Scott to set his sample in the slotted container, Scott followed him with his gaze… and noticed the slight shake to the instruments on the table a second before they started to float.

Scott's eyebrows shot up, but it was enough of a tipoff that he got his eyes closed before the full glow could return — the man was standing too close to the girl in the bed to risk taking a shot blind.

The pale man let out a breath of irritation when he saw the floating instruments before he grabbed the vial himself. "Next time I find you," he said, "consider whether you want to be conscious." With that, he slipped through the door — and none too soon, since the metallic pull was stronger an instant before the door crumpled in on itself and Erik arrived, taking in the setup with an imperious sort of look until he spotted Scott.

"Are there any others?" Erik asked before he destroyed the buckles to the straps holding Scott down. "Or is it just you and the girl?"

"As far as I know, it's just us," Scott said, pulling his hands free and unconsciously rubbing his wrists. "I don't know who she is…" He gestured in the girl's general direction, his eyes still closed, before he tipped his head. "Do you have my glasses at least? I don't know if she saw me before … I don't want to risk the visor."

Erik nodded and handed over the glasses that he'd brought along with him. "You should try to wake her." He was looking over the lab with a scowl. "What was going on here?"

"Do you remember where you found me?" Scott said, trying to push himself to his feet with a glare, though he was still groggy. But he didn't want Erik to think he couldn't help, either.

"Of course I remember," Erik replied.

"He's not dead," Scott said simply.

Erik frowned deeply. "That's impossible."

"He doesn't look like that doctor, but he said he's been watching me…" He paused. "He said he's been watching me for years."

Erik glanced around the lab set up again, then tipped his chin up. "If that's true, then we'll need to find him. But for now, I think it's best that we remove you both from this …  _place_."

"Yes, please," Scott agreed. It was all he could do to get to the girl's bed before he finally sat down again, gently shaking the girl's arm. She started to stir with a more physical stimuli, and he relaxed a bit, glad that she wasn't too far gone. "Hey, it's time to wake up."

For a moment, her eyes fluttered, but when she finally opened her eyes, she drew in a quick sort of a shocked breath and startled. "Who … what happened?"

Scott took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm not sure on the details," he said. "I just know I woke up here, and it looks like you were kidnapped too." He gestured to his own wrapping and then hers. "What's your name?"

She automatically crossed her arms over her chest when she realized how little she was wearing. "Jean."

"Hi, Jean. I'm Scott." He gave her as reassuring a smile as he could and then glanced at Erik. "Could we… can she have your cape?" he asked. He gave Jean a gentle smile and squeezed her arm. "Don't worry. Magneto found this… lab or whatever it is… and he'll get us out."

Her eyebrows went up at that, though she didn't voice her opinion on anything just yet. "Where are we?"

"Connecticut," Erik said. "There is a lab below an older colonial house here, where it seems someone has found it fit to experiment on mutants." He narrowed his eyes. "As soon as we take our leave, I will destroy his equipment — and him when next I lay eyes on him."

"Oh… kay," Jean said, scrunching her shoulders forward as she watched him.

"Are you afraid of heights?" Scott asked, drawing Jean's attention back to him.

"No," she said, shaking her head gently. "Why?"

"Well… the drugs that guy gave us aren't great for walking," he said. "But…" He glanced at Erik. He didn't want this girl to know who he was... He wasn't sure how she would react to it. "I've seen on the news ... he could fly us out, right?"

"If we're in Connecticut, then I'm not too far from home," Jean said quietly. "I'm from Annandale … in New York."

"Then we should get you home," Erik said as he gently handed Jean his cape so she could cover up before he lifted the three of them up on a metal disc and simply headed off.

"You okay?" Scott asked as he sat beside Jean.

"I don't know," Jean replied. "It's a little disorienting ... just … all of it." She looked almost to the point of tears as she pulled the cape around herself a little tighter.

Scott's eyebrows shot up when he saw her expression, and he shook his head quickly. "Hey, no, it's okay," he said. "I mean, it's not, and that guy was evil. I don't even know what he did to us, but I'm pretty sure kidnapping and drugging and whatever else qualifies." He shook his head, wondering why he was rambling, before he shrugged. "Sorry. I'm disoriented too."

She sniffled and looked over at him as the wind whipped her hair out of her face. "Who was that guy? I didn't see him."

"I don't know what his real name is," Scott admitted. "He didn't say." He paused and looked up at Erik, knowing Erik wouldn't know what to go on when the man had looked nothing like Pearson… "He was tall, pale… he had a diamond in the center of his forehead and glowing red eyes. Ever seen him?"

"Sounds like a bad vampire," she said quietly.

"That's about the sum of it," Scott agreed. "So you haven't seen him either?"

She shook her head slowly, then peeked over at him. "What did he want? Did he say anything to you … like … what happened to our clothes?"

Scott paused. He really didn't want to get into that discussion —  _especially_ not in front of Erik. "He… said he was studying us. Genetics. Something like that."

Her eyes widened at that. "But  _why_? What's so special about us?"

"He didn't really say," Scott said. "He just said…" He rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to find a way to couch it in terms that didn't totally freak him — and Jean and Erik — out. "I guess … he said he studied our helixes. He liked our genes. I don't know. I didn't get to ask him much before he started taking more blood." He let out a breath. "Really… he seemed kind of… insane. Mad scientist? I don't know."

She let out all of her breath and rested her head on her knees. "I don't know what to say to all this," she admitted.

"Good, because I think if you did, you'd have had a pretty crummy life," Scott pointed out with a small smile.

"You're sweet," she said before her eyes welled up with tears and she turned her head away from him. "Sorry."

Scott shook his head. "I don't blame you," he said. "I mean…" He looked down at himself. "If I wasn't half-naked, I'd offer to hug…"

She let out a heavy sort of a laugh at that. "Something else screwed up about today then."

"You know, I'm headed to Genosha if you want… it's safer there…" Scott offered slowly.

"Oh, I … don't want to leave my parents … and my sister," she said.

"That's fair. But if you ever change your mind…"

She finally looked up at him and met his gaze. "There has to be a better way than to run and hide."

"Of course," Erik said in a low rumble. "We can always stand and fight."

"That's not a great solution either," she said. "There are laws in place. And … I don't want to run from my home."

"My dear girl," Erik said gently, "when our enemies are willing to kidnap children from their homes and conduct experiments—" His tone hardened. "—can we say that we live in the bounds of the law?"

"There are always people who will be extreme or even crazy… But who was he?" she asked. "Isn't it hard to fight someone when they have no face?"

"He will not be faceless for long," Erik said.

Jean looked up at him and tried for a brave sort of expression. "I hope you're right about that."

Erik nodded, but when it was clear that Jean was still badly shaken, the short trip to Jean's home was mostly quiet — until Jean, still in obvious shock, fell asleep, eventually slipping over to lean on Scott without realizing it.

Which, of course, gave Erik and Scott a chance to very quietly talk, and Scott gave Erik an abbreviated rundown of what had happened. "I've never seen her before in my life, Erik. Where did he find her and why…" He shook his head, though it was clear to Erik that Scott was in a fair amount of shock as well. "I don't understand. I don't know  _why_ … That's not even anywhere  _close_ to his business…"

"It would help if we knew his true identity," Erik said quietly.

"He said Dr. Pearson didn't exist, so I don't know where to start or I'd be researching as soon as we get home…" Scott rubbed a spot on his forehead. "I can look into it…"

"Yes, you should," he said, then paused, watching Scott and Jean both for a long moment. "Be sure to keep an eye on her as well. Should he decide to return for her, that may be a good opportunity to find the monster."

Scott nodded. "She doesn't know who I am. I'm sure I can stop by without drawing attention."

Erik smirked but didn't say anything about it yet. "If that's the easiest method, then perhaps that would be wise."

Scott shrugged. "I have to admit… I'm curious," he said. "I don't know anything about her… what powers she has… anything…"

"Yes, I'm sure that's the prime issue of concern," Erik said with a smirk.

Scott looked up at Erik and then flushed, shaking his head. "I'm not—"

"She's quite lovely," Erik said. "A bit naive. But …I'm sure she'll learn soon. Hopefully, the lesson learned will not be too hard."

Scott nodded. "I'd rather nobody had to learn things the hard way," he said. "This guy… he's exactly what we're trying to take down. Capturing mutants and experimenting on us…"

Erik nodded lightly, then tipped his chin up. "You should probably try to wake her. I wouldn't be surprised though if she needed to be carried inside."

"I'd do that if I wasn't…" Scott looked down at himself. "I'm sure her family is worried as it is, and then if a half naked guy showed up with her in her underwear…"

Erik smirked. "I'll make sure she's delivered safely."

"Thanks." Scott looked down at himself. "Can we find something for me to wear before we get to Genosha?"

"Of course," Erik replied as they touched down outside of her house. "A simple enough matter." He took a moment to pick her up before he headed toward the front door of the house.

Scott nodded but stayed back as Erik spoke with Jean's family, explaining that he had found her in the clutches of a villain targeting a few young mutants — and did they have any clothes that his young friend could wear as well… which, to Scott's surprise, somehow ended with an invitation into Jean's home for Erik and Scott as well.

Scott was incredibly grateful to have something to wear and changed quickly — the fit wasn't quite right, but it would work — before he rejoined Erik and Jean's parents. "Thanks," he said, feeling more self-conscious now, somehow.

It wasn't too long before Jean made her way to the group — freshly dressed and with her hair pulled back. She waved the tips of her fingers toward Scott and mouthed out a 'hi' before she sat down between her parents and scrunched her shoulders to her ears.

"It's good to see you up and about," Erik told her.

"Sorry the introductions were so horrible," Scott added with a self-deprecating smile.

"Sorry I wasn't very good company," Jean said before she looked over to her mother. "They were very nice."

"I'm glad to hear that," she said.

"It's alright," Scott said. "I'm… not exactly happy about what happened either. It wasn't your fault."

Jean gave him a tight sort of smile at that. "Well, if you don't know what he wanted, then you can't be sure of that, right?"

"You don't seem like the kind of girl to work with a supervillain," Scott said, then flushed when he realized what he'd said. "I mean…"

"Does that mean you're the kind of boy who would?" Jean asked with a little smirk.

Scott shook his head. "I'd rather help people than hurt them," he said.

"Thank you, Scott," she said. "I appreciate the help."

"If you ever decide to come to Genosha… maybe I'll see you there?"

"Maybe," she said. "And if you're ever in town, you know where to find me, right? We can compare notes on evil supervillains."

"Right," Scott said with a smirk. "Hopefully, you won't run into any  _more_ supervillains, right?"

"I think I've had enough of them," Jean said. "I hope you have too."

"That's the whole point of Genosha — to be safe from that nonsense," Scott pointed out with an easy shrug. "I'll be okay."

"I hope so," Jean said before she got up and crossed the room to offer him her hand. "It really could have been better circumstances." She shook Scott's hand then turned to Erik. "And thank you. I don't know what even happened, but that was very kind of you to help."

"It was my pleasure," Erik said, standing to leave.

She turned and rushed to the stairs, only to barely catch them as they stepped out of the house. "I should return this," Jean said, handing Erik the cape, folded up.

"Thank you," Erik said. "I'm only sorry that the scientist who took you left you in need of it."

"I truly hope that if you do ever find him … please let me know?" Jean requested.

Erik nodded. "I will let you know — or perhaps I will allow Scott to tell you," he said with an understated sort of smirk. "We will see."

She gave him one of her best smiles. "Really. Thank you. So much."


	6. Letters from the Other Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which now that Scott and Jean have met, there's simply no way they can ignore each other.

 

* * *

When Jean arrived in Westchester the next day, she was still obviously shaken — but not nearly as badly as she had been the day before. She'd had some time to recover with her family — and now, she wanted to talk to the others.

"You alright, sugah?" Rogue asked almost as soon as Jean had come in the door — so she obviously didn't look as great as she thought she did.

Jean frowned and then let out a sigh as she shook her head. "I had a very … odd weekend," she admitted. "I was hoping to talk to Professor Xavier about it."

Rogue nodded, already walking with Jean. "Odd how?"

"Odd as in kidnapped and rescued by Magneto," Jean said, both eyebrows raised, which got a low whistle out of Rogue.

"That definitely sounds odd."

Jean had to nod her agreement, one hand flitting to her stomach, which was still wrapped, before she shook her head to herself and then went right to the professor's office.

 _Jean, what happened?_ Charles asked before she could even close the door.

 _It's a long story,_ Jean said.  _It might be easier if I just show you._ With that, she simply projected out to Charles everything that had happened, including what she had gleaned from a cursory glance at Scott's memories — leaving the professor frowning hard by the time she was done.

"Well, you know the doctor's name now," Charles said. "There's no reason we can't use what you learned from Mr. Summers to take to Cerebro and begin the search."

Jean nodded. "We need to stop him. What he's doing ... it's just ... it's just  _wrong_ ," she said, her eyes flashing. "And from what I saw in Scott's mind, he's done it before. He's a shapeshifter, so we'll have to look for his mind ourselves."

"But first," Charles said, "as upsetting as this whole experience has been, I think it would be wise for you to go to the med bay — considering the subject matter at hand."

Jean flushed angrily, though she couldn't help but put her hand on her stomach all the same. "You don't think…"

"I certainly hope not," Charles said quietly. "But I think it would be best to know for sure."

"I don't even know this guy," Jean said just as quietly as she got to her feet. "I don't know why he's been studying me or Scott — and neither does he. I checked."

"I don't think we'll know the answer to that until we find him," Charles said. "And I'm more than happy to start the search while you try to find some peace of mind."

"That would be great; thank you," Jean breathed out.

* * *

Scott felt a little strange coming back to Genosha in civilian clothing, but it was better than coming back in nothing but his underwear. Still, Erik made sure that they returned in relative quiet and secrecy — which Scott was grateful for.

There was, of course, also a strategic reason for that — they didn't want people to feel unsafe. And the whole point of Genosha was to be a  _haven;_ it would be hard to maintain that if anyone found out that Scott had been kidnapped right out from underneath everyone's noses.

He and Erik shared a few words about how to proceed from there — mostly regarding how to research this doctor when 'Pearson' was a false name — before Scott headed to his room… and was surprised when Lorna met him in the hallway with a hug.

"Are you alright?" she asked, holding him at arm's length. "Where — what happened?"

Scott let out a breath. So much for trying to keep the kidnapping out of public knowledge. "It's a long story. What happened here?"

"Well, when you didn't come off the ship to give everyone the rundown—"

Scott put a hand to his forehead and let out a groan. "So everyone knows."

"Well, Pietro did a decent job covering for you so it wasn't an island-wide panic, if that's what you're so worried about," Lorna teased, though the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Really. What happened?"

"It's a really weird story," Scott admitted, but when Lorna crossed her arms over her chest, he knew he wasn't going to be able to get around her without at least offering some kind of explanation. "You remember how I told you about that guy your father rescued me from? Back in Nebraska?"

Lorna's frown only deepened. "Yes…" she said slowly. "But he's dead. And what would that place want with you after all this time? Why come all the way here? How did they know—"

Scott held up both hands to stop the onslaught of questions. "Woah, slow down," he said. "I'm alright, Lorna, I promise."

"You went  _missing_."

Scott stopped and frowned at Lorna before he took the time to give her a better hug than the one he had given her before, much tighter and gentler at the same time. "Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to."

Lorna gave him another solid squeeze before she finally let her shoulders drop. "Alright," she said. "Tell me everything."

"It's, ah, not exactly—"

"Oh, so you don't want the shield between me and my siblings when they inevitably question you too?" Lorna asked with a smirk and one eyebrow raised.

"That's not fair."

"Mm," Lorna said, her lips pursed and an expression that clearly said that argument wasn't going to hold any water with her.

Scott shook his head, but he leaned back, sitting with Lorna for a while as he gave her first the basic overview of what happened and then, when she pushed a little, he gave her a very light idea of… well, he called it "matchmaking," which was a much, much nicer term for what the doctor had been doing.

Lorna listened quietly, but when Scott trailed off, obviously still  _very_ freaked out about what had happened, she leaned over and squeezed his arm a bit. "Well, at least there's one good thing out of this whole disaster," she said.

"Yeah? What's that?"

"I haven't seen you blush that much since we were just starting out dating," Lorna said with a teasing smile.

Scott blinked at her for a moment and then turned somehow an even deeper red. "I…"

"It's alright," Lorna said with a little smile. "I mean, it's a small step down, green hair to red, but…"

Scott couldn't help but laugh at that. "Right." He leaned his head back against the wall. "It's not..."

"So when are you going to see her again?" Lorna asked.

"Lorna—"

"I know it's not exactly the best 'how you met' story, but if you're blushing that much…" Lorna bumped shoulders with him. "It's nice to see that smile again. I've missed that."

"Lorna, this guy kidnapped us and did some kind of  _medical procedure_ ," Scott said.

"I know; I heard you," Lorna said. "But Scott… you should at least look her up. I mean it. I haven't seen you get this flustered in a long time."

Scott chuckled to himself. "You're a romantic, Lorna."

"That's why you liked me in the first place, isn't it?"

Scott couldn't help but smile at her, though he was shaking his head. "It's not like I can just pop over anytime. She doesn't know who I am, and not everyone on Genosha can just…"

"So write her," Lorna suggested. "And see where it goes."

"That's… actually not a bad idea," Scott said with a slow smile.

"You act so surprised," Lorna said, shaking her head at him.

"Yeah, you think I'd learn by now," Scott said.

"You'd really think so," Lorna said, then kissed his cheek. "Let me know how it goes, will you?"

"The letters or the kidnapping?"

"Oh, so you  _are_ going to write, then?" Lorna asked, her smile growing steadily wider.

Scott opened his mouth and then closed it again and shook his head. Nothing he said was going to dissuade her now, and he knew it. She could be as hard to say 'no' to as her father sometimes. "Yeah, I am," he said.

Lorna beamed at him. "Good," she said, then kissed his cheek one more time and gave his arm a squeeze before she let him get a little privacy — and waited until she was outside the room before she let her shoulders drop and closed her eyes to give  _herself_ time to digest everything as well.

* * *

_Dear Jean,_

_I know it's probably a little weird to hear from me, considering how we met, but I just wanted to write you and make sure you're alright_ —  _and let you know I'm fine too._

_And to be honest, I was hoping to start over on introductions, since like I said, it wasn't exactly the best of circumstances when we met up. So… I'm Scott Summers. I don't think I ever told you my last name, but then again, I was still half-drugged, so maybe I did. Either way, I thought I'd like to introduce myself properly, if that's alright._

_I hope you and your family are doing well. I wanted to thank them for letting me steal some clothes, too. I've got my own here on the island, but there's other kids my age who come here with nothing, so I hope it's okay if I gave them away?_

_Anyway, I hoped we could start again. I'd really like to know more about you than just the fact that we both have the same evil doctor poking in our lives. This would be easier in person, I suppose, but I guess I could start with: I grew up in Alaska, my dad was in the Air Force, and I love flying more than most things._

_You can ignore this letter if you'd rather forget the whole incident, but if not, maybe you could tell me where you're from._

_Sincerely Yours,_

_Scott_

For a long while, Jean simply stared at the letter open-mouthed. This was not at all anything she'd been expecting to get, but … she just … didn't know what to  _do_ with it.

"Whatcha got there?" Bobby asked over her shoulder.

"Nevermind," Jean said, pressing the letter to her chest.

"Oh, I see. You and Warren are on the outs for five seconds and you're already getting fanmail," Bobby teased.

"Grow up, Bobby," Jean said, rolling her eyes as she got up and started to walk off. "It's not  _fanmail._ "

"If you say so!" Bobby called out as she walked off, still grinning her way.

She shook her head as she thought about it. It was pretty clear that she couldn't talk to the  _boys_ about this, but … there was at least another option. She bit her lip and changed direction — heading toward the greenhouse and smirking to herself when she realized that yes, Ororo was still out there. She knocked on the door as she entered, still holding the letter to her chest. "Do you have a minute for some girl talk?"

Ororo looked up from her garden and smiled warmly. "Always," she said, gesturing for Jean to join her on the garden bench. "What has you looking so down?" She leaned in a bit. "I thought you and Warren ended on good terms, but if not, I can always cause a microburst," she offered with a mischievous smile.

"No, no ... that's not it," Jean said as she looked down at the letter for a moment then almost cringed as she looked back to Ororo. "I got … this letter … and I don't know what to do with it." She walked closer to Ororo and handed her the letter.

Ororo raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything as she read over the letter's contents, her eyebrows getting higher the more she read. "Well," she said at last, carefully, "at least he isn't terribly traumatized by the ordeal."

"I … wasn't expecting him to be like … this. And I don't know what to  _do_ about it."

"What were you expecting?" Storm asked.

"I don't know," she said, shrugging up to her ears. "He was pretty freaked out when we were there. Projecting panic over it like  _crazy_ , not that I blame him. At all."

Ororo nodded. "I know you said you skimmed his mind to look into that doctor, but what else did you see? It's hard to read intentions in a letter."

"I … was still pretty groggy. I was mostly just looking at what the doctor was up to, not trying to get to know him. And … he sounds so … awkwardly sweet."

"Sweet is a good thing," Ororo pointed out. "It's very rare."

"And he's on Genosha."

Ororo nodded slowly. "Ah," she said. "So you want to know if you should even start up with someone so far away."

"I know I shouldn't," Jean said. "He was pretty behind the whole idea of Genosha when he dropped me off at home, and I'm  _not_ going there to do anything but wipe the floor with Magneto."

Ororo nodded slowly. "Well then, don't go to him. But there's nothing wrong with getting to know someone." She paused. "And we don't know anyone inside Genosha. If there are any problems there…"

"Yeah, we'll have to see if we can find him, I'm sure," she said, letting out a breath. "But I don't know … I mean, if I write back, do I use this address or my parents'?"

"I wouldn't suggest using this address," Ororo said frankly. "I wouldn't be surprised if the mail on Genosha is screened, and I don't want you putting yourself at risk." She paused and smirked. "No matter how cute this boy is."

Jean blushed lightly. "He was cute …" She sighed and shook her head as she ran a hand through her hair. "So…. My parents' house for sure. Or … maybe I should just get a post office box."

"He already knows your parents' address," Storm pointed out. "Use that." She rested her hand on Jean's arm. "Who knows — it might be good for you to have someone to correspond with  _without_ reading their minds," she teased.

"Oh, ha ha," she said, rolling her eyes. "Why would anyone want to do that anyhow?"

"It's more fun," Ororo said. "And you said yourself you were too groggy to do more than skim. Wouldn't it be fun to discover someone the slow way?"

"Maybe," she said. "But just once — and only because I'm being  _forced_ into it."

Ororo laughed. "I had no idea I was so terrifying," she teased. "But just so you feel better, I'm sure we can go out just us girls and get your mind off of sweet boys an ocean away…"

"Please," she agreed with a little laugh. "There is way too much testosterone around here."

"There always is," Storm chuckled, offering Jean a hand up as she got to her own feet.


	7. The Other Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Erik believes that Scott is going soft on him, even as the world around them seems to be taking harder and harder lines on exterminating mutants.

 

Scott hadn't been expecting to hear from Jean for a while — or at all, considering how things had gone when they met — but after a couple weeks, he had something else to occupy his time anyway, so he wasn't checking the mail as often as he was when he first sent his letter off.

He didn't know  _why_ he had been checking the mail so closely at first. It would take a while just to get to her, let alone for her to respond and for that letter to get back, especially since the mail only came in waves with the ships coming in with refugees. It was often enough to actually carry on a correspondence, but sporadic enough that Scott just… didn't know what to expect.

But he'd just put it out of his mind when the letter came in — of course at the worst possible time, when he had his mind on other things. A mission that he wanted to run with Erik — and Wanda and Pietro, if he could get them. Not the Brotherhood.

The thing was, it seemed like a few countries in Northern Europe had seized on the idea of Genosha — but as a way to get rid of their mutant population. They were literally dumping mutants on an uninhabited island with no supplies, no food — just leaving them stranded at sea to die.

He'd spent the entire week getting intel on the location, on what supplies Genosha would need to bring in order to take that many refugees. He could get them all on a ship — a captain that knew him well and knew he'd  _pay_ well — and he could arrange for food and medicine and a doctor… but Scott also wanted to hit the docks, destroy the offices that decided to starve people to death in a mockery of an actual  _refuge..._

He had the schematics in front of him as he went over the plan one more time before he'd bring it to Erik — so of course that was when Lorna let herself in, the letter in hand and an incredibly smug smile on her face.

"You don't answer your door anymore?" she teased him.

"Lorna, I'm kind of in the middle of—"

"She wrote back," Lorna said, holding the letter under his nose until he took it. And when he couldn't help but smile, she positively beamed. "I knew it! You're so transparent, Scott."

"I need to bring this plan to your dad—" Scott let out a little 'gah' sound as the metallic floor slid out and he landed in a metal chair.

"He's still yelling at the Brotherhood for the way they handled the X-Men," Lorna said. "You have time."

"You know, if they would focus less on trying to one-up the X-Men and more on—"

"I thought you didn't want to lead the Brotherhood," Lorna teased.

"I don't. They're idiots."

Lorna laughed and then tapped the letter in Scott's hand. "There will still be murderers to track down after you read the letter, won't there?" She gave him a kiss on the temple. "Come on. You haven't smiled in days."

"They're shipping mutants off to starve to death, Lorna," Scott said.

Lorna let her shoulders drop and looked a bit more serious as she let out all her breath. "I know, Scott," she said softly. "But if you let every atrocity affect you like this? If you take it personally every time? You're going to turn into my father." She held up a hand. "I know you think the world of him, but Scott… there's a reason he asks you to run Genosha. He gets too wrapped up; he can't hear every story of desperation — it would drive him mad. Even more than it already does."

Scott let all his breath out at once. "That's…"

"A very good point. Yes, I know," she finished for him. She squeezed his arm gently. "Go on. If she's turning you down, at least you can use your rejection and sadness to fuel your little raid party, right?"

"Oh, ha ha," Scott said, shaking his head, though he did gently pull the letter out of the envelope all the same — and almost immediately started to smile at the loopy cursive writing.

_Hi Scott,_

_I'm actually pretty happy to get your letter. I was honestly hoping that I'd hear from you; I just didn't know how that worked with you living where you do. I'm fine now, thank you so much for checking in on me. It was a little odd to start with, but … well. Without going too in-depth, I'm fine. Really._

_Since we're doing the reintroductions, hello, Scott_ —  _it was nice to meet you in spite of the circumstances. I'm Jean Grey, by the way. My parents are teachers at a liberal arts college not far from here, and my sister is … well. A sister. I grew up right here in New York state. I guess I'm not that exciting. Just your typical girl next door. Nothing out of place, I guess._

 _I'm glad to hear the clothes did someone else some good; that was incredibly weird waking up like that_ —  _and I never thought I'd wear a cape, of all things. No offense, but I hope that doesn't ever happen again._

_Let me know if you ever happen to find yourself on the mainland again. I'd like to grab a burger or something with you for that chat._

_Finally Introduced properly,_

_Jean_

Scott hadn't noticed that Lorna had left, though if he'd looked up, he would have seen that she was smiling to herself when she did, albeit a bit sadly. But he had to admit that the letter did have him in a much better mood — though now he was almost frustrated, totally distracted and having a hard time  _focusing_ on the plans he was supposed to be drawing up.

He tried a few times, picking up some maps here and there, but… all he could think about was what he'd like to write in response.

And the fact that she'd said she would like to grab a burger with him.

Eventually, it got to the point that Scott knew he absolutely wasn't going to be able to get anything  _done_ until he responded, so he pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and sat down at his desk, though now that he was actually sitting down with the pen in hand, his mind had gone totally blank on what to write.

It was more than a little frustrating. He was second in command of an entire nation and he couldn't write one letter?

He shook his head to himself, took a deep breath, and figured he would at least start by responding to what she'd said….

_Hi Jean,_

_I'm really glad to hear you're alright. I know I was shaken up too, so I get it… but I'm glad to hear you're okay._

_I don't think there's anything boring about having a family like yours, to be honest. I lost my parents in a plane crash, so having some college professors would be amazing. I have a brother too, but he was adopted out to a different family, so I couldn't really tell you more about him. Sorry; a blank space is probably more boring to hear about._

_There's plenty of kids here on the island, though. A few of the kids that came here with no families know me by name. I guess we all kind of band together, if that makes sense. It's kind of nice._

_There's a school here too, but I've been doing my own studies. I don't know that I'd get into your parents' college, but I can play chess with the best of them. Maybe if we ever find ourselves in the same place again, we could play a game after burgers? I've found that's a good way to get a read on people is to sit down and see how people think. But maybe that's just me._

_Some people do go back and forth to the mainland, especially if they have family there. It's rare, and you have to get Magneto's permission, but it happens. Maybe I"ll hitch a ride sometime. There's usually a big exodus around the holidays, even if most of the time everyone stays put._

_Anyway, I really am glad to hear from you. I was glad to see your letter in the mail._

_Sincerely Yours,_

_Scott_

Scott nodded to himself and read the letter over a few times, almost nervously folding it down to fit in the envelope, though he'd only just finished writing the address down so he could mail it off when Erik arrived — and Scott quickly straightened up, trying to make his face a little less red and absolutely losing that battle.

Erik looked as he usually did after he got frustrated with the Brotherhood — but he paused when he saw not only how red Scott was but the fact that he was trying hard to  _stop_ smiling. "What are you doing?" he asked, not at all expecting … whatever this was.

"I was just…" Scott gestured helplessly toward the plans and schematics that had, until Jean's letter, commanded his full attention. He cleared his throat and got to his feet. "I've got a good plan of attack," he said. "I was just going over it and I got sidetracked, but it's all in place when you're ready to go," he added quickly.

Erik frowned at Scott for a good long time. "Sidetracked," he repeated slowly, in a tone that clearly said he didn't believe it. And considering the fact that Scott had always been laser-focused on his projects, he had every reason not to.

Scott rubbed the back of his neck. "It's… nothing…"

"Scott," Erik said with no trace of amusement in his tone, "you know better than to lie to me."

"It's just a letter," Scott said, his smile finally falling entirely. "That girl that Dr. Pearson found…"

Erik's frown deepened into almost a sneer. "I was under the impression that you wanted nothing to do with his  _breeding_ experiment."

Scott felt his face go red and hot. "It's not like that," he muttered.

Erik waved a hand impatiently. "Whatever the case, now is  _not_ the time, Scott," he said. "You should know this better than anyone — you're the one who arranged the timeline, the ship, the supplies."

"Right, yeah," Scott said, letting out a breath before he pulled over his schematics and did his level best to push aside the rest of it as he showed Erik where he wanted to approach — and where the naval bases were that housed the staging ground for the mutant roundups.

He decided not to tell Erik that he had already written Jean back, tucking the letter into his uniform as they geared up to head out. He could drop it off at a post office in Europe while they were there, hopefully. And if not, he could give it to the captain to take back to the mainland after they got the refugees to safety.

With the letter tucked away, he tried to put his focus on the task at hand. They needed to leave in the right window of time to arrive at the island ahead of the captain to deal with any resistance. But even with as important as Scott  _knew_ the mission was, he found himself resting his hand on the lining of the pocket more often than not — even once they did head out.

He wanted to surprise Jean by dropping by New York and letting her know he was in town, but he knew that would raise all sorts of questions. It had taken a lot of arguing on Scott's part just to get Erik to agree to let people see their families for the holidays — he couldn't just explain away a visit in the middle of the year.

He couldn't help but think about what Jean had said, about getting a burger with her…

He felt ridiculous getting this flustered over a girl that he'd only met once. And there was a part of him that wondered if it was just that she was so gorgeous to him because he'd seen her in  _living color_. But… she had been kind, and her letter was sweet and… it wasn't just the way her hair splayed out when she was sleeping or the way her lips poked out when she was thinking or the little hum she let out when she fell asleep on his shoulder…

Scott was completely lost in thinking about Jean — and in trying  _not_ to think about Jean — until he and Erik finally came upon the first resistance in the Baltic Sea. Apparently, the naval base was a little skittish about having Magneto so close by, and they fired a warning shot that very suddenly got Scott's mind back on the mission he was supposed to be running.

Scott lifted the visor and opened fire in return, blasting apart the guns while Erik simply kept them moving forward at a slow, even pace. It was obvious to anyone watching them that they were unbothered by the shots, even moreso when ships and guns alike were either blasted to bits or crushed down into an unrecognizable shape.

"It's been some time since we've done this, you and I," Erik said as they floated past the wreckage of what used to be the naval base's defense systems.

Scott nodded. "I guess we've both been busy. Sorry; I get so caught up in Genosha…"

"It's no small thing to be 'caught up in'," Erik pointed out gently. "I am glad that you've risen to the task. It allows me to focus my efforts where they are most needed." To emphasize his point, he tore open the gates to an area where mutants had been rounded up behind fencing, waiting to be shipped off.

"I'm just trying to live up to what we're supposed to be," Scott said, which earned him a quiet sort of smile from Erik before he turned his attention to the mutants they'd just freed. A few of them spoke English; others spoke Polish; and between Scott and Erik, they were able to gently direct as many as were able to move on their own steam to get themselves and anyone who needed help to the ship that would be docking there after everyone on the island itself had been evacuated.

Scott couldn't help but smile at this part of the mission. This was his favorite part — getting to rescue people and getting to see for himself that there were mutants safe and sound because of their efforts.

Not that it could last forever. The second half of the mission, after all, was to get to the island — where Scott didn't doubt that there would be a lot of work to be done.

And yet when they did get there, somehow, nothing — not reports, not stories from Erik — could quite prepare him for the island itself. The people there had been left to die, and the stench of it was everywhere, almost overwhelming. The island was a mass grave, but several of its residents were still  _alive_.

Scott couldn't hide his horror, even behind his visor, as he walked through the paths on the island. Even with Pietro's speedy help getting people to the ship, they still had to carefully check each mutant they saw… some of them were so close to death that it was only the heartbeat in their necks, very slow and weak, that told their rescuers they were alive.

Not one person on the rescue team said a word, though it was clear to see that all of them were livid. Horrified.

Scott was still standing among the dead when the last of the living were aboard the ship, and he was so overwhelmed by the scene that he simply didn't hear Erik behind him until he nearly startled at the hand on his shoulder.

"The captain and crew and the doctors you sent for are tending to the survivors," Erik said in a voice full of steel. "Come with me."

Scott didn't argue or ask where they were going, simply stepping onto the metallic platform that Erik created for them, though when Erik tersely explained that they were going to have a word with the men who were responsible, who had given the orders, for that island… Scott's hands tightened into fists and a muscle was working in his jaw all the way back to shore and into the continent.

Still, neither of them said anything until they arrived, and even then, they simply shared a look between them before Erik simply strode through the doors, pinning generals and politicians alike — but his focus was solely on the man in charge.

Erik didn't break his stride until he was directly in front of the man, and even then, he spoke clearly, so there would be no mistaking him.

"If you declare war on my people, you must be prepared to pay the price," Erik said.

The man said something in a language that Scott didn't speak, but whatever it was, it was clearly an insult, judging by the sneer on his face.

But Erik didn't say anything, simply stepping back from the man with a whispered threat that, again, Scott didn't understand — but he could guess its content from tone alone.

Still, Scott was surprised when Erik simply strode out of the room, his cape flying behind him. Erik didn't make empty threats, but that's what this felt like… until Scott had followed him outside and Erik turned to him with fire in his gaze.

"Flatten the building."

Scott positively froze at that. That… was more than Erik had ever asked of him before. Sure, he had been there when Erik had killed people, leveled facilities… and Scott himself had done so in the heat of battle. But this was different. This was no facility, even if the people in it had committed atrocities. This was just… an execution.

"Cyclops," Erik snapped, his tone one that had Scott straightening up almost unconsciously. It wasn't a tone to be argued with.

And yet…

Scott took a deep breath. "I… I can't…"

"These men are just as responsible for the deaths — for the suffering and torture that we just witnessed — as any guard. Moreso because they are the ones who handed down the orders." Erik tipped his chin up, that angry flash even brighter. "Are you really going to spare them simply because they are hiding away, tucked far from ever having to see the barbaric results of their own orders?"

Scott swallowed. "I…"

Erik let out a noise from the back of his throat and made a crushing motion with one hand. With a sort of screaming sound of grating metal, the building behind them collapsed in on itself — and Erik took it a step further to simply fold in all of the support structures, wiring ... everything condensed into a ball that there was no way anyone inside it could survive.

The sound of rubble falling all around them hadn't even stopped before Scott felt his feet leave the ground, a metal disc under his boots as Erik took them both up into the air.

For a long time, there was nothing but silence between the two of them before Erik finally spoke again. "You have done an excellent job with Genosha, Scott. You've far exceeded my expectations." He paused, watching as Scott almost unconsciously straightened up. "But I'm afraid that your isolation has made you forget what it is that we're fighting. The war has only gotten worse, Scott. Humanity is desperate to save itself from extinction, and islands like the one we just left are only going to arise more frequently." He put a hand on Scott's shoulder. "Your compassion and mercy are admirable traits, Scott. They serve you well helping our people on Genosha. But they have no place in war."

Scott fell silent, dropping Erik's gaze entirely. He hadn't wanted to stoop to their level, but he knew that he couldn't explain that to Erik. Not  _now_. Not when he was still so furious, not when the images of the people dying on that island were still so fresh.

And it was hard to argue, too, when they got back to the ship and they were faced with the evidence of their own eyes — the hundreds of starving,  _dying_ mutants that filled every spare space on the ship as nurses and doctors moved between them. Even Pietro was completely quiet, looking almost sick himself as he made himself useful just trying to get supplies to everyone who needed them.

"Never forget, Scott," Erik said in a dangerous tone over Scott's shoulder, "that this is what happens when evil is allowed to run free."

For a moment, Scott could only silently take in the scenes of misery around them before he simply nodded and closed his eyes. "I know," he said quietly.

"Good," Erik said. "Then you'll do well to remember that next time I give you an order." When Scott quickly looked up, almost shocked, Erik met his gaze coolly. "You've been hidden away for too long, Scott," he said. "You and I will not be returning to Genosha. It's time you remembered  _why_ we have to fight every day to keep Genosha safe."


	8. The Drums of War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Erik and Scott are really just making things worse.

 

* * *

 

Scott was exhausted.

It wasn't just a physical exhaustion from the traveling and the fact that he and Erik had been going nonstop for a long time now, hitting camps and Sentinel factories and all of the worst of what humanity had planned to fight back against mutantkind. It was an emotional exhaustion as well — it was draining to see so much evil and so much misery all at once.

He wasn't going to say anything to Erik, of course, because he knew that this was the whole point of their trip together. Erik had said that he had been too sheltered, and it was hard to argue with the evidence.

In just a few weeks, Scott had seen plans to invade Genosha — and destroyed the fleets before they could make good on those threats. He had seen mass graves and flattened the facilities responsible. He had seen weapons programs and stood at Erik's side as they freed enslaved mutants.

It was different now, when he was eighteen and had the weight of an island full of people on his shoulders, than it had been when he was fourteen and angry at a world that allowed people like Dr. Pearson to experiment on  _kids_. Now, every time he saw the mutants that hadn't made it, every time he saw the weapons being employed against mutants, he could only think of the ships coming to Genosha.

He knew it wasn't enough. They weren't fast enough; they weren't far-spread enough to stop  _everything_. The world itself seemed to be set against them, and it was frankly overwhelming.

They had one last stop to make, a Sentinel facility where, according to Erik's information, the men in charge were implementing deadlier version of the robots they had already seen in action. Faster. Sturdier. And easier to mass produce.

The people making the Sentinels were getting smart — the main components weren't metallic at all. But that was part of the reason Erik brought Scott along: even the newer materials couldn't stand up to the full strength of Scott's most powerful blasts.

The problem was that there were several of them, and even between Erik and Scott, with enough Sentinels in one place, it wasn't long before Scott found himself playing more defensively as the fight spilled out aboveground and he did his level best to avoid being shot down, his head splitting with the headache that meant he was running out of juice. The wreckage of several other Sentinels was behind them, but still… this was a lot.

This time, when Scott lifted the visor, there simply wasn't anything left, and he could hear the whine of the Sentinel charging up ... a second before it seemed like an entire tank had gone through the center of the Sentinel.

Scott let his shoulders drop in relief as Erik touched down beside him and offered him a hand up. He glanced behind him to see that the last of the Sentinels had been dealt with, but even Erik looked worn out after that fight.

Neither of them said anything as they flew away from the Sentinel facility, and it wasn't until they stopped near the shore that Erik finally broke the silence.

"I need you, Scott," he said in a weary tone. "They mean to wipe us out, and I need your power, your mind, to help me stop them."

Scott nodded quickly, though he hardly picked his head up. He was exhausted, completely dry of any power, and he felt like a little boy being scolded. "I'm sorry," he said at last, quietly. "I didn't know …"

"No, you didn't," Erik agreed. He shook his head as he looked out toward the sea. "All of the work you've done will be meaningless if we lose this war, Scott. I need my best lieutenant with me."

"You know you have me whenever you need me," Scott said quickly.

"Good," Erik said.

* * *

Scott was still fairly lost in his own head for a while after he and Erik got back to Genosha. It was hard not to be, when every time he looked over the island, he could see the plans that he and Erik had destroyed, the calls from leaders around the world for their  _extermination_.

So once more, the last thing on his mind had been Jean. He hadn't even realized how much time had passed since he sent off his letter to her, but when another ship came and another bag of mail, he was surprised to find the letter waiting on his desk for him that afternoon.

He raised both eyebrows and then decided to pocket it for now. He would take the letter back to his room to read it later. He didn't want Erik to find him in his office  _not_ working, but if he was in his room, then he was on his own time. It was too clear to him that things were boiling over outside of Genosha's borders, and he knew he would be distracted as soon as he read it.

Not that he wasn't distracted by the simple fact that the letter was  _there_ , sitting in the pocket of his uniform as he looked over the proposal for some upgrades to the outer defenses. Early alarms. Things that would tip them off if those huge Sentinels showed up.

Which was not out of the realm of possibility, after all. He had seen the plans, seen the Sentinels, seen the animosity, the hatred… Genosha was supposed to be safe, and it was suddenly everything Scott could do to make sure it  _would_ be.

He was also working on an evacuation plan, though he hadn't yet brought that up to Erik. Lorna, Wanda, and Pietro all knew, but Scott was sure that Erik would see it as a surrender rather than planning for every eventuality. Erik would always rather fight than flee.

But… what Scott had seen had him thinking that he'd rather be wrong and surrounded by living, breathing survivors than right and dead. Obviously, he'd rather be right, but still. He wanted to be careful.

But even with all of that in front of him, Scott found his thoughts drifting back to the letter, until he finally decided to call it quits early and get a small dinner for himself, taking it back up to his room so he could eat it on the balcony that overlooked Genosha while he read.

_Hello again, Scott!_

_It's really nice to hear from you_ —  _and to hear that you're settling in well on Genosha. I didn't know that there was a school there or accommodations for holidays, but that sounds nice. I'm glad you have people there._

_I was sorry to read about your family, though. I can't imagine growing up without mine around me or not knowing where my sister was. But you shouldn't get down on yourself or your story. I think it's great that you're finding a place there with other kids. That can make all the difference. I have several friends who are also mutants who have no families and we sort of band together as our own little family too. I know how important that is._

_In the spirit of full disclosure, you probably don't want to play chess with me. You'll lose. I'm a telepath, and I can't resist peeking, especially when it's so quiet and everyone is concentrating so much. I'm not saying it wouldn't be fun, but you'd better be prepared to lose!_

_But if the only time you can get away is during the holidays, there's always snow angels and hot chocolate instead of burgers and chess if you really don't want to get slammed. I don't know how our winters compare to Alaskan ones, but I bet we're getting way more snow than you do on an island!_

_Of course, this is all theoretical, but you never know, right?_

_Warm wishes from the land of more snow than you,_

_-Jean_

Scott couldn't help but smile when he saw the way that Jean had signed her letter. He wondered if she was going to do that every time — sign it in a different way related to the content of her letter.

"Only one way to find out," he muttered to himself, heading inside to find a pen and paper to draft his response.

* * *

The X-Men had also been incredibly busy dealing with the escalation on both sides of the looming war Erik and his followers were waging. It was starting to feel like the team was caught in the middle — fighting Sentinels as well as extremists and just trying to maintain some semblance of peace in the meantime.

It was especially frustrating after Magneto and Cyclops had gone through and really made everything worse — riling up all of the worst enemies they had and more or less declaring war everywhere they went.

"They're going to get everyone killed at this rate," Warren said, shaking his head to himself as Bobby turned on the news that morning over breakfast. Even if the blitz was over and Magneto and Cyclops were back in whatever hole they'd crawled out of, the news was still focused on the fallout, on the international uproar, on the calls to invade Genosha, to retaliate, to "get rid of them before they kill us all."

"Like they're thinking about anyone else but themselves," Jean grumbled. She was still sore from the last fight, and her back and shoulders were tender from where she'd been thrown back by a Sentinel and knocked out so that she couldn't stop the skid. Hank had helped her to ice it down, but it was still not fun.

"Yeah, you'd think for someone who says he's such a master chess player, Magneto would know not to tick off every country in the world, right?" Bobby said, shaking his head.

"I don't think they realize they're putting a huge target on  _innocent people_ ," Jean said, her eyes slightly narrowed as she winced when she pulled her back slightly.

"Or if they do, that's a helluva way to take care of the people they're saying they're doing all this to protect," Logan said, though he only looked up from his newspaper when Jean winced. "You okay, Jeannie?"

"Still sore," she admitted, rubbing her shoulder.

"In more than one sense of the word," Bobby quipped.

Jean rolled her eyes at Bobby. "I'm just tired of those pig-headed maniacs putting the rest of us in trouble."

"Not to mention the big target on Genosha," Warren said with one eyebrow raised. "Haven't heard anything from your  _pen pal_ lately, have you?"

Jean flushed. "No."

"Watches the mail every day, though," Remy said with a crooked smirk. "When we gon' meet dis Scott, anyway?"

"Considering he lives on Genosha," Jean said, one eyebrow raised Remy's way, "not anytime soon."

"You lettin' a little ting like an ocean stop you?" Remy asked, the smirk widening into a troublemaking grin. "De way you blushin', we lucky he dat far away or you'd be getting' in real trouble."

Jean let out a noise and shoved Remy back a couple steps telekinetically. "That's not—"

"Sure 'tis," Remy said with a laugh. "Ain't no shame in it."

Jean flushed a little more, especially since it seemed like most of the group was in agreement — against her. "We don't even know each other that well. We only met once."

"But you been gettin' more familiar," Remy laughed.

"He's sweet," Jean said. "And that's more than I can say for you — you lay it on too thick."

"I ain't de one you gotta compare to," Remy said, though before he had entirely finished — and it looked like he was pointing Warren's way and about to put his foot in his mouth — Logan hit him in the back of the head.

Jean shot Logan a grateful look before she excused herself from the table, deciding to clear her head before she put Remy to sleep into his coffee cup.

She didn't get far, though, before Storm had caught up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't pay them any mind," she said, shaking her head.

"I'm not," Jean said, shaking her head quickly.

Storm raised an eyebrow Jean's way and then gave her a quiet smile. "It's hard when there are real feelings there that they're making light of, isn't it?"

"That's ridiculous," Jean said, but when Storm simply held her gaze and didn't say anything more, Jean let out a frustrated sound. "It  _is_ , isn't it? I've only met him once."

"I don't think it's ridiculous," Storm assured her, pulling her arm through Jean's. "From what you've told me about him, he sounds nice — and you need someone to match your heart, my friend."

Jean let her shoulders drop slightly at that and rested her head on Storm's shoulder. "Thanks," she said quietly.

"Anytime," Storm said, giving her a little squeeze. "Anytime you find you need a reminder of the truth, you can always find me."

"And I really do appreciate it," Jean said. "It's nice to have a little girl time on this team."

"It is," Storm agreed, though she had her head tipped to the side as she watched her friend. "You don't look entirely like your usual carefree self, Jean. That's probably why our friends have been poking at you; they can see it too."

"That's such a Kindergarten boy way to show affection," Jean said, rolling her eyes, which got a solid laugh out of Storm.

"That," Storm chuckled, "is our team."

Jean smirked at that and nodded before she bit her lip, working over her thoughts for a moment. "I guess I'm worried," she admitted at last.

"Worried how?" Storm asked, one eyebrow perfectly arched. "Is it the usual worry when cute boys are involved?"

Jean couldn't help but smile at that. "I guess that's part of it," she admitted. "But you've seen how bad things are getting…"

Storm nodded gently. "Perhaps when you write him next you could suggest he move here," she suggested. "Even if he doesn't want to take you up on it, it might help  _you_ to have at least put the suggestion out there."

Jean nodded and then took a moment to pull Storm into a hug. "Thanks," she said. "I can always count on you to talk me down out of the trees."

"Always," Storm said with a smile before she took a step back and held up a wallet between them. "Now, I think a shopping trip is in order. Remy is buying."


	9. The Attack on Genosha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which everything goes downhill very, very quickly.

 

* * *

The first warning that there was any trouble on Genosha was that several alarms went off on Scott's early warning system, first alerting Scott and then Erik on their comms — though at the moment, Erik and the Brotherhood were on a mission to bust up a Sentinel factory.

Now, Scott had to wonder if the intel on the Sentinels hadn't been a lure to draw out Genosha's more powerful defenders — especially when he saw the sheer  _number_ of Sentinels that were approaching the island.

He hit the alert to notify Pietro and Wanda to wake them up first so that they could get ahead of the crowd and then sounded the alarm warning the residents of Genosha to get underground — where there were ships waiting to get them out.

In the meantime, Scott was going to buy some time — and that's where he was headed when he nearly ran into a frazzled-looking Lorna in the hall.

"How bad is it, Scott?" she asked when she saw the look on his face, her frown already deepening when she saw his jaw clench before he'd even answered.

"Small army of Sentinels headed this way," he told her. "I need you to help—"

"You're not going to fight them by yourself; don't be ridiculous," Lorna cut in.

"I've got Wanda and Pietro on my side too, you know," Scott said, shaking his head. "And you know they'll fight hard to keep everyone safe too."

"Let me help too."

"Lorna—"

"I don't have time to argue with you about this, Scott," Lorna said, cutting him off. "My father and his band of idiots aren't here, and as annoying as they can be, you know their firepower would be helpful right now. Let me help."

For just a second, Scott was torn. He knew that she had a point, but he also knew that Erik had been careful to keep her shielded from the world, even more than Scott had been until recently. And he had never seen her fight before…. But when she simply started to walk purposefully down the hall, he let out a breath and then rushed to catch up to her.

And he didn't regret having her along at all when she made them a shortcut, reaching out both hands to open up the wall in front of them before he felt the floor lift under his feet and they both shot off toward the borders of the island.

Outside of the palace, the sound of the sirens as well as the panic was much more evident, and it had Scott that much more furious when he saw how  _scared_ everyone looked as they rushed toward the underground, hidden docks. This was  _supposed_ to be a safe place, a haven. And these monsters running the Sentinel program were taking that away from them.

Scott locked his jaw and set his gaze on the horizon, where they were finally just starting to see the Sentinels on the horizon. At least the early warning system had worked enough to give them time to respond. But…

Lorna let out a soft sound when she saw it, and Scott wasn't far behind her. It was clear that the Sentinels were coming out in numbers that they simply hadn't seen before — and from seemingly every direction. Even from as far out as they were, it was abundantly clear… this was a force strong enough to kill everyone — no matter how good the defenses were.

Neither of them said anything as they watched the Sentinels hit the first of the outer defenses, the automatic turrets, the electrical pulses… They watched together, hardly breathing as the first few Sentinels started to fall.

The defenses were holding well against the first dozen Sentinels, but eventually, even those defenses were destroyed, and still, there were so many Sentinels headed their way.

"The ships can't launch if they don't have a clear window," Lorna said, the horror evident in the bare whisper that Scott would have missed if he wasn't as still and silent and similarly shocked as she was.

"We just have to make an opening," Scott said, already reaching for his visor and just waiting, watching as the last defenses fell and he could hear the Sentinels from where he was.

" **Mutant targets acquired. All mutants will be terminated."**

"Like hell," Scott muttered to himself before he simply lifted the visor and let the Sentinels nearest them have it, blasting through the core of one before he spun to face the next.

Lorna didn't need Scott to tell her to move after that — she dove into action as well. Even though the Sentinels had been designed to minimize metallic elements to keep them from being compromised by Erik, the island was positively covered in metal for Lorna to work with, and she simply put sharp shards through the heads and torsos of the Sentinels in her sights.

Not that the Sentinels weren't fighting back. Hard.

Scott had only just turned to face one target before the ground seemed to explode just behind him. He hit the ground hard, instinctively covering his head when the rubble started to fall, and it was only the fact that Lorna had seen him go down that saved him from the follow-up blast as the ground moved beneath him and he suddenly went veering sideways.

He shook his head hard to clear the cobwebs and glanced out toward where he knew the twins were working — red-tinged explosions giving away Wanda's work. "I hope they're having better luck than we are," he muttered before he had to dive out of the way of another blast.

He rolled with the dive, popping back up with a hand on his visor, and he lifted the metal and ruby quartz to let the Sentinel have it, boring right through its central processor. The giant robot fell to the ground, but another was already coming to take its place.

Scott's ears were ringing, but there wasn't much that he could focus on outside of the fight. It was all he could do to keep from being killed outright — and if he didn't keep moving, he would be.

"They've locked onto the evacuation," Pietro's voice broke over the comms, sounding far more stressed and outright upset than Scott had ever heard from him before.

Scott very nearly froze outright when he heard it. He almost felt sick. He blasted through several Sentinels at once before he turned to Lorna. "I need to get down there."

Lorna didn't say a word, instead simply throwing out a hand Scott's way even as she struggled to keep up against the Sentinels that were targeting her, clearly recognizing her powerset. The next thing Scott knew, the ground had opened underneath him, and Lorna had cut him a path down to the hideaway through the metal laced throughout the island.

Scott nearly crashed into the cave-like docks — Lorna clearly was too distracted to give him a soft landing — but he popped back up quickly and let out a cry that he simply couldn't stop when he saw that Pietro was right. Several of the Sentinels had zeroed in on the highest concentration of mutants, and they were absolutely destroying  _everything_.

One of the ships was already sinking; another was on fire. And the last one was under heavy attack. The would-be evacuees had nowhere to go to escape the Sentinel onslaught, but even the untrained mutants were trying to fight back.

Scott felt sick when he saw how many people had already died.  _I promised them they'd be safe,_ he thought, almost desperately, as he rushed to give them some support —  _any_ support.

There was a group of kids —  _kids_ — doing their best to fight back, flinging a bit of fire and some slime and whatever else they had to offer at the Sentinels. Scott wanted to scream. They were only drawing attention to themselves!

He didn't have enough breath to yell at them though, so he just ran as fast as he could, the visor up before he'd closed the distance. His head was already starting to hurt, especially with how well-reinforced the Sentinels were. It took a lot of power just to take down one Sentinel, let alone an army of them.

He was swearing with every breath by the time he caught up to the kids and simply started to push them further into the caves, further away from the fight. He recognized several of them that he'd seen as they came in on boats — a couple of them had only just been on an island where they were starving to death... and now they were  _here_ …

"Get out of here!" he shouted at them, too stressed to even try to temper his tone. He felt bad when the kids looked almost stunned, but if it got them to  _run_ , then that was all that mattered.

"We can't go up there!" one of the kids shot back, her eyes wide. "There's Sentinels above us too!"

Scott swore under his breath and looked over the little group, who were just … watching him. Waiting for him to tell them what to do. "Stick close," he said at last. He couldn't think of anything else that would keep them safe. "And if I tell you to get down,  _stay down_ until I tell you to."

Every one of them nodded their quick agreement, and Scott nodded to himself before he looked back toward the Sentinels. He was proud to see that there were half a dozen Sentinels strewn around the caves, victim to the citizens of Genosha. A couple more were sinking, and one more seemed to be shorting out.

But it wasn't enough. Scott had only just turned to blast a Sentinel away from his little group when he heard someone screaming his name and turned to see that there was another group — a family whose daughter he'd carried onto the island himself. He swore and broke into a run, but he wasn't paying attention and ended up getting blasted by one of the Sentinels, hard enough that he rolled several times over, his breath gone, his chest hurting.

His head was killing him, and when he tried to pick himself up, the world spun for a moment. And that was worse than watching what was going on, really, because when his vision blurred, his only clue to the world around him was the sound. Screaming, explosions, the high whine of Sentinel weapons.

And he couldn't hear that little girl screaming anymore.

"We need help," he managed to gasp into his comm before he pushed himself at least to one knee, picking up the visor to take out another Sentinel.

"We're doing everything we  _can_ ," Wanda replied, clearly frustrated and almost hysterical. "We tried to stop them from sinking the ship…"

"Where are you?"

"The east end of the docks."

Scott narrowed his eyes and tried to force himself to concentrate better, to look beyond the Sentinels. He could see the explosion as another two Sentinels went down and nodded to himself. That had to be the twins.

"I'm at the south end," he told them. "I'm running low," he added, in the spirit of full disclosure.

"We all are, Scott," Wanda replied before an explosion cut off their contact, and the kids sticking to Scott started to scream as several rocks came down around them.

Scott swore and grabbed the nearest kid to try and shield him. He heard the whine of another Sentinel weapon and didn't even aim as he picked his head up and simply blasted. The sound of whining Sentinel weapons was slowly fading ... there were only about half a dozen left now…

He spun toward the sound of another Sentinel behind him and picked up the visor… and he only managed to bore part of the way into the Sentinel's armored plating before his powers just… sort of … fizzed out.

Scott swore all over again, but that was all he got out before he grabbed his tiny shadows and dove for cover, the whine of the Sentinel weapon in his ears a second before everything went black.

* * *

When Erik got the alert from Scott's system warning him about the impending attack, he was already part of the way across the world. And for as quickly as he could get there, he knew that he would already be too late. Especially if the sheer number of Sentinels that had breached the early warning system was to be believed.

He turned the Brotherhood around immediately, of course, but the size of the force, the fact that they had timed the attack while he and his soldiers were away from home…

Erik shook his head to himself. They were going home to a disaster. A massacre. And he knew it.

He needed to make use of everything — every _one_ — at his disposal if he had any hope of saving Genosha and his  _children_.

It took him only a moment to make the decision and redirect, and it took only slightly longer than that to arrive at Westchester, ignoring the posturing teenagers in favor of going right to where he knew Charles would be in his study. He didn't have time to deal with Charles' disciples.

All of Erik's outer appearance of calm was behind him as soon as he did see Charles, and he didn't bother to slow down until he was in the study. "Genosha is under attack," he said. He shook his head, anger running through his tone. "They mean to wipe us out."

"How bad it it?" Charles asked, already in motion as he called out telepathically for his students.

"Genosha's security picked up what seems to be an army of those Sentinels," Erik said, still furious — and honestly panicked and worried about his own family still on the island. "It's enough to destroy everything. Everyone."

"Of course, we'll do all we can," Charles said, looking honestly as distressed as Erik. "Come with us — our jet will get us there faster than you can."

"Thank you," Erik said in a breath, already moving along with Charles — not about to waste a second longer.


	10. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the X-Men arrive to see the devastation in Genosha. It's not pretty.

 

* * *

 

The Brotherhood and the X-Men were still a good distance away from Genosha when they saw the first evidence of the fight. There was smoke rising from the island, along with the occasional bright flash of an explosion — and it had everyone in the jet suddenly much more tense.

"Ready Elf?" Logan asked as he looked out the window at the mess in the distance. Kurt nodded solemnly in response, and an instant later, the two of them were simply gone but for the swirl of smoke Kurt left behind. It was still another few minutes before those in the jet could see the flashes of light as Kurt teleported back and forth with Logan — the two of them already tag-teaming Sentinels one by one.

Not that the rest of the group was far behind, with most of the Brotherhood jumping in to fight — though Erik was sure to point out to several of the X-Men where the hidden dock was. "They will have fled here," he said, even as he sent part of a building through one of the few remaining Sentinels. The fact that there were only a handful left to be dealt with spoke to the power of Genosha's defenders, but he was honestly worried — he hadn't seen any of his children yet.

Thankfully, Charles had taken it upon himself to direct the team from Westchester, and Erik for once was not even wearing his helmet so that he could hear as soon as Charles found anyone. He wasn't bothering to hide his concern — or the outright alarm when Charles did finally find Lorna, only to immediately send Wolverine and Nightcrawler to her position.

They were not a moment too soon — Lorna was completely pinned down, and she had fallen to one knee, obviously struggling to keep up a magnetic shield against two Sentinels at once. She was caked in dust and rubble and blood, and Kurt didn't hesitate to simply teleport to her and get her out of danger, leaving Logan to tear the Sentinels apart.

"Are you alright,  _fraulein_?" Kurt asked gently, though he didn't set her down.

Lorna was too tired to look anything but relieved as she leaned her head on his shoulder and let out all her breath. "The docks. Everyone is down beneath the island… they're under attack…"

"Yes, we know," Kurt assured her. "My teammates are going there now."

Lorna let out a noise of relief and then nodded. "Good."

Kurt frowned, especially when Lorna was so exhausted that she was nearly dead weight in his arms, and he teleported her back to the jet, gently laying her down before he teleported back just in time to see Logan yank his claws free of the second downed Sentinel.

The two of them shared a nod before they teleported once more, catching up to the rest of the group — where Storm had just created a massive maelstrom, knocking aside Sentinels from where Wanda was standing in front of her unconscious, bloodied brother. She was shaky where she stood as well, and no one stood in Erik's way when he went right to the two of them, helping Wanda to sit down while Hank examined Pietro — thankfully declaring that he was still alive, but in a bad way.

The last of the Sentinels fell to the rest of the X-Men, but even with the immediate threat dealt with… there was so much left to do.

There was no reaction the X-Men could have but horror to the scene around them. It was clear that some of the citizens of the island nation had tried to fight back — there were pockets of groups, marks on the Sentinels that were clearly made by more than just Magneto's kids or his Brotherhood. But it was also clear that the ones that fought back were targeted.

It was even worse because this was an island full of refugees and civilians. Families. And the Sentinels had hardly even been down and out before the sound of family members calling out to try and find each other was louder than anything else in the caves — except for people crying, in terror, in misery, in mourning.

When the rest of the robots had fallen, Logan took just a moment to look over the carnage before he started to slowly walk through the mess, looking and listening, doing his best to sniff out any survivors that might be caught in the rubble or hidden under bodies. There weren't many that were still alive, but most of those that he found were in very bad shape, and it wasn't too long before the X-Men were running a triage of sorts. Logan would find them, then kneel down next to them until Kurt or Angel or Jean could get to them to try and ease them out of whatever trouble they were in.

Hank was  _very_ busy trying to address whatever medical issues he could — and the team was proving to be much more organized than Erik had initially realized.

And when Logan found himself sliding down a little embankment of rubble, he tried to tread more carefully… watching his footing in case there was someone under the mess. Someone was down there — and if his ears were right, it was more than just one or two. When he got closer to the bottom, he heard a very little person crying — and he only just managed to move part of what looked like it had once been a wall when a little girl no more than four made her way over and simply attached herself to him.

 _Jeannie, I got a pocket down here_ , he projected out.  _Don't know how many yet, but there are some._

 _I'll be right there,_ Jean promised, already headed over to help Logan shift some of the rubble.

"My big brother and his friends—" The little girl looked up at Logan, half her face hidden by the way she was hugging his knees. "I was following them and — and—"

Logan blew out a breath and took a hold of her arms to get her off his leg, though when he crouched down to look her in the face, she darted forward to reattach — around his neck. "We'll find 'em, little darlin'." He wrapped his arms around her and let her curl in.

The little girl held on tighter and didn't see when Jean arrived, but Jean almost couldn't stop the smile at the scene.  _What's her name?_

 _No idea,_  Logan replied.

Jean smiled at the little girl. "Are you alright?" she asked.

The girl hid a little more in Logan's neck and shook her head. "We're s'pposed to find Scott if we get in trouble, but he gotted hurt," she whispered, almost too soft for Jean to hear, though Logan was able to catch it just fine.

Logan glanced up at Jean. "She says Scott's been watchin' out for her, but he got hurt."  _Wouldn't hurt to see where the heck she came from._

For just a moment, Jean had frozen, but at Logan's prompting, she quickly nodded and peeked into the little girl's recollection of the attack — of running to keep up with her brother and a few others. She had fallen behind the group at large — which was apparently following Cyclops — but when Jean had seen where the attack happened, she directed Logan on where to look, already shifting some of the rubble herself as well.

The little girl finally let go of Logan so he could dig and move some of the rubble, and when he found a boot sticking out, he whistled to catch Jean's attention from the area she was trying to move on her own.

Between the two of them, they were able to dig out the scene a little better — though they weren't exactly expecting to find Cyclops half curled around a couple of boys and looking much worse for the wear, totally unconscious, though the boys looked a lot better.

Logan shook his head and made his way over to check on Cyclops, since the boys seemed to be more or less alright. "He's still breathin'," Logan said. "I can get him up top if you can get the kids."

Jean nodded, though she couldn't help her frown, since there didn't seem to be anyone else there. Though then again, it wasn't like 'Scott' was an unusual name. It could easily have been one of the boys'. She gently crouched down by the boys and introduced herself before she led them out of the cave-in — though now she was reaching out, looking for a familiar mind to see if  _her_ Scott had made it.

Logan took just a second to hoist Cyclops over his shoulder and started for the opening he'd found him in, though the little girl took a hold of Logan's hand as he walked by her.

By that time, it seemed most of the survivors had been gathered up, and Hank was still busy — though the rest of the team was pitching in with what little medical training they had, mostly just doing what Hank told them to patch up who they could or comfort any kids that didn't have someone with them.

The worst cases were being prioritized and stabilized to get to the jet for better medical care than they could give in the ruins of the island. Wanda was sticking close to Pietro, and Erik had relaxed significantly on seeing that Lorna was there — but Hank was adamant that both Pietro and Cyclops would need more serious medical care as soon as possible.

Which was interesting enough on its face, with all of Magneto's children requiring help in one way or another. But it was more interesting still when one of the boys that had come with Jean and Logan when they found Cyclops made his way over to Hank with a nervous sort of look.

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"Very likely," Hank said, watching the little guy. "He'll just need to spend some time healing."

The little boy nodded but stayed close by, shifting from one foot to the other as Hank removed Cyclops' helmet and cape so he could better assess him. But when Hank went to check his eyes, he let out a surprised little shout when he was met with a red beam — albeit one much less powerful than what he would usually see, more of a fizzle than anything, though that wasn't surprising, given how exhausted all of Genosha's defenders were.

Hank raised an eyebrow and let out a hum of interest before he returned to his examination — though he had learned his lesson and stayed away from the eyes.

Still, it had been enough of a noise to catch the attention of some of the others, and Jean made her way over, halfway ready to put Cyclops back to sleep if he was giving Hank a hard time… only to freeze when she saw him for the first time without the helmet.

"Scott?"

Hank turned to face Jean with both eyebrows raised high, especially when he saw that she was simply still, staring at the unconscious young man in front of them. "Scott," Hank repeated, then turned back to his patient, his eyebrows still high. "This is the young man you met before?"

Jean's eyes were still wide as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Well, obviously he wasn't wearing that — that stupid helmet when I—" She bit her lip. She hadn't  _known_ … she hadn't even thought to look when she had seen him in person, because she had been so focused on the doctor… "There's got to be … there's no way  _Cyclops_ is…"

Hank let out a breath. "Yes, well, I would love to find the answers to this particular identity crisis as well, my dear, but if we don't get him on that jet, this will all be quite academic."

Jean nodded, though she still looked very much like a deer in the headlights, almost holding her breath as she helped Hank move the worst cases to the jet.

She couldn't even wrap her head around this latest curveball — how could she? The pig-headed idiot that she'd met was  _nothing_ like the sweet guy that wrote awkward letters and… judging from the kids' memories of the attack, protected little kids with everything he had.

But thankfully, she had plenty to distract her, and once the jet was gone, she did her best to force herself to focus on something else. She could figure out… whatever this was… when they got home.

* * *

Scott was a little bit surprised that he was waking up at all, considering the state of affairs the last thing he remembered. But with how drugged he felt, he couldn't help but panic for just a moment, wondering if that same doctor had shown up and  _that_ was how he'd gotten off of Genosha. It was hard to tell ... everything was sort of blending together.

It took a few tries for him to come back to full consciousness, and he wasn't sure how long he had been back asleep in between each attempt. But finally, he did come out of it enough to see that he was in a hospital. Not some weird lab but an actual hospital.

So that was a relief.

But when he looked around the room, he had to wonder how he'd gotten there. The last thing he remembered…

All of a sudden, Scott felt ill. A few of the monitors around him protested as his body responded to the feeling, and he sat up suddenly straighter. Genosha was gone. Everyone had been dying last he saw… he didn't know what had happened to the kids he was with… he didn't know where  _anyone_ else was.

When that initial panicked reaction had passed, the sick feeling hadn't gone away, and Scott leaned back against the pillows and closed his eyes. He didn't know where he was or who had found him, but he should have been on Genosha with everyone else. He'd promised to keep them safe.

The weight of it all seemed to hang over his head, and he simply kept his eyes closed as he tipped his head back. He hadn't asked to be taken from the island, but at this point, he didn't care where he was. He just… wanted to be done.

He heard the click of the door opening and didn't move. It was probably a doctor or a nurse, come to look at a survivor of the massacre at Genosha. He had promised to keep them safe, and he had been ready to give everything for that... He wanted the rest of the people to be here, not him.

But rather than a doctor or a nurse, the visitor had to be someone else, because he came to sit down and rested a hand on Scott's arm — which was enough of a surprise that Scott did actually open his eyes and turn his head. Erik was sitting there, looking far older and more weary than Scott had ever seen him before.

"I'm sorry," Scott said before he could even fully form the thought in his head. "You trusted me to protect Genosha and I…" He closed his eyes again and let the sentence drop off, leaning back in the bed with only the beeping of the monitor for a long moment.

"You did all that you could, and you saved a fair number of children. More than my own children could manage."

"They were trying to fight, and I told them to stay with me…" Scott glanced up at Erik. "Are they okay?"

"The ones that were with you are," Erik said. "You were hurt much worse than any of them."

"I couldn't ... I ran out," Scott said, dropping his gaze again, the frustration obvious.

"None of us could have held off the numbers that they attacked with," Erik said. "Even when I got there, it was a near thing to stop those that I did."

"I was wondering how I got… here," Scott said, gesturing vaguely at the bed.

Erik let out a breath and met his gaze. "I was in New York at the time the alarms went off — and I asked an  _old friend_  for help."

Scott didn't bother to hide his look of surprise as he straightened up a bit. "I don't know what happened after I was hit. Were you able to save ... how bad was it?" he almost breathed out.

"Lorna and the twins all survived, as did several dozen others. Mostly children," Erik said.

Scott had gone sort of still, the same sick feeling back again. "Pietro sounded the alarm that they were targeting the evacuation," he said almost dully. "Anyone there that could fight was defending the younger kids… even some of the kids were fighting." He closed his eyes — but then he just saw the scene more clearly — and then opened them again. "Do you know who sent them?" he asked, his tone softer, but more dangerous.

"That's being unravelled now," Erik replied in that same tone.

"I want to be there," Scott said. "If I can. I won't leave anything standing."

* * *

Jean was grateful that no one was trying to talk to her for most of the flight back to Westchester, all things considered. Though she didn't know whether that was them being respectful or the fact that Ororo was sitting beside her for the whole flight out and looked like she would personally bring lightning down on anyone who said anything about Scott —  _Cyclops._

She was still trying to wrap her head around that. It just didn't make any sense for the sweet, awkward boy that she'd been writing letters to… there was just no way that same boy was the pig-headed idiot following Magneto around.

It didn't line up. The X-Men had always thought that Cyclops was Magneto's son, but Jean knew from the peek she'd had of Scott's mind when they'd both been captured that his last name was Summers, and he seemed genuine when he talked about his family. Though if his parents were both dead and Magneto had taken him under his wing…

That had to be it. It was the best explanation — and it would also explain why Magneto had been there to rescue them in the first place when she and Scott had been kidnapped.

But then there was the fact that she'd seen in the minds of the kids on Genosha that Scott took care of them, that they trusted him. And they'd found him trying to shield kids with his own body. Again, that was more in line with the guy that had been writing her letters, not the idiot in the helmet.

There had to be more to the story, something they weren't seeing.

Jean wanted to reach out to Charles and ask him for his insights on the matter, but he looked deep in thought, and she was loathe to disturb him. She couldn't blame him for being distracted. After all, they had just seen devastation and horror on Genosha. A genocide.

Next to that, Jean's crisis over Cyclops' identity felt a little… petty, if she was honest. Even if, selfishly, she wanted to go right to the hospital where the Genosha survivors were being treated and dive into Scott's mind for herself and find out what was real and what wasn't.

Of course, it certainly didn't help matters when they  _did_ get back to New York and Jean found another letter waiting for her.

_Hey Jean,_

_It honestly makes my day when I get a letter from you. I particularly love the way you sign things_ —  _are you going to do that for every letter? If this keeps up, you're going to have to get pretty creative._

_I'm really glad to hear that you have a good group of friends, especially because I know it can be hard to find someone who gets what it's like to be different. They're lucky to have you around. I mean, if I get a smile out of a letter, I'm sure your friends are glad to be around you all the time. Everyone needs someone to make them smile._

_As for the chess game, I don't mind losing to a good player, but if you're going to cheat, how can you ever get any good? It took me a long time playing with the man who taught me before I could beat him in a game, and it was such a satisfying feeling. I mean, if all you want to do is win, to each their own, but there is something really great about beating a chess master fair and square._

_Still, as powers go, I think you're pretty lucky. I can't get mine to turn off, even though I've been trying since I was fourteen. It would be much nicer to have something like that_ —  _though I have met a few telepaths here, and they said it was hard to get used to hearing everyone's thoughts. Did you have the same problem?_

_I guess every power has its downsides. But still, I guess if we do ever meet up with each other, we'll have to play something with a little less strategy and a little more luck. At least then I have a chance of winning, right?_

_Of course, in this theoretical time when we're actually on the same continent, you're right: it would be winter, and there should be hot cocoa. But if that's the case, it's more fun to have it outside so you can see the stars. I don't know if you've ever seen the night sky away from all the light pollution, but my brother and I used to go out and see how many we could count. I know everyone hears 'Alaska' and thinks of the Aurora and all that, but honestly, that was more fun._

_I might be biased, though, because it was something I did with my family._

_Anyway, it was great to hear from you again, and I'm already looking forward to the next letter._

_Sincerely Yours,_

_-Scott_

Jean stared at the letter for a long moment before she let out a noise from the back of her throat. She very nearly crumpled it up in a ball and threw it across the room for how frustrated she felt. Why did he have to be so… she didn't even know how to explain it. HIs letters were the  _sweetest things_ she'd ever read, and yet he was  _Magneto's right hand_ …

"Anything I can do?" Ororo asked from the doorway, and Jean looked up to see that her friend had come to check on her.

Jean tipped her head back for a second and shook out her hair before she answered. "I don't even know," she admitted, not bothering to hide the frustration in her tone.

Ororo frowned and came to sit down by Jean. "Another letter?"

"Yes, and he's still…  _Scott_ ," Jean said, unable to really explain it any better than that.

Ororo tipped her head to the side, though when Jean still couldn't explain it any better, Ororo let out a slow breath. "Well, which do you believe?" she asked at last.

"What?"

"Which version of him do you think is real — Cyclops or Scott?" Ororo asked.

"It's hard to fake that kind of sincerity," Jean pointed out. "But it's easy to be a jerk. At least … that's what I'm hoping."

Ororo nodded. "I hope so too," she admitted. "You've been in such good moods when you write him that I hope he's the boy in the letters for your sake."

Jean frowned to herself. "I'm not going to get attached until I find out for  _sure_."

"That's smart," Ororo agreed, then gestured to the letter. "But what are you going to do in the meantime?"

"I guess … I'll write back … and see where it goes?"

"So your plan hasn't really changed," Ororo pointed out. She paused and then smiled lightly. "You may not think so, but I think… you're already attached, Jean."

"Oh shut up," Jean said, her eyes narrowed. "I just … I can write to him anyhow. It's not like there's any real option to meet up with him."

"No, and no mailbox to address it to," Ororo said thoughtfully. "With Genosha destroyed… it would be hard to write without giving yourself away."

"Dangit," she said, frowning. "I don't know then. Maybe … I should just wait to see … I know he's okay, relatively speaking ... "

Ororo smiled and put a hand on her arm. "I think you may have to wait for a new address," she said. "If he's as attached as you are, then he'll let you know where he is soon enough, I'm sure." Her eyes sparkled. "And in the meantime, if it would help to assuage your doubts, I'm sure no one would object if you were to shanghai him the next time we meet him as Cyclops. There are questions all of us would like answered too, you know."

"I'm sure," she agreed. "So it's back to just 'wait and see'." She frowned at that. "Maybe I should talk to Charles, too."

"I doubt he'd turn you down," Storm agreed.

"Might make it easier to find an approach if Charles knows the other side of this story."

Storm nodded. "If you tell him half of what you've told me about this boy, I think he'll want to know what he's doing with Magneto. You're right; it doesn't really fit."

Jean smirked and rushed over to wrap her friend in a warm hug. "You really are the best sounding board; you know that, right?"

Storm couldn't help but smirk as she returned the hug. "And you really are a wonderful friend. I want you to be happy — and not so frustrated you can't see straight. You know that, right?"

"Of course! And one way or another, it will work out. But heaven help him if the nice guy routine is a lie."

"Indeed," Storm said, this time with a spark in her gaze as well as her smile.


	11. Kidnapped by the X-Men

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the X-Men decide that it's time to talk to Cyclops and figure out what the heck is going on here.

 

* * *

Scott was still staring at the wreckage of the building in front of him.

He had asked to come with Erik when Erik went after the people responsible for the attack on Genosha. He had wanted the cowards who had ordered a genocide to pay. He  _had._

But now he was staring at a collapsed government building, and it was different, somehow, than any other mission he'd run with Erik. This hadn't been a strategic strike or self-defense or… he had just walked right up to the place and leveled it with his gaze. There was nothing left. No way anyone could have survived it.

He'd just walked up to a building full of people and murdered everyone in it, and he could hardly hear what Erik was saying over the ringing in his ears until he  _forced_ himself to concentrate.

"...of course," Erik was saying, though Scott didn't have any context for it. "These cowards have shown that they're willing to slaughter innocents, and they'll know fear."

Scott nodded, not really listening at that point. It was a lot of the same stuff he'd already heard Erik say before. Threats. Anger. Erik always did this when he was really upset. He wanted to vent, so Scott just sort of… let him while he tried to figure out how he was even supposed to feel about… any of it.

It was different, because he hadn't even been in a fight. He'd just come and demolished the place — and he was trying to reconcile how much he'd wanted to make these guys pay… how much he'd wanted justice… and how much he felt like he was doing the same thing they'd done and just… killing them without warning.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see that Erik was positively beaming at him. "I knew you had the potential to take up my cause properly," he said.

Scott smiled almost reflexively; he really didn't know how else to react. Erik didn't often express pride or anything close to it, but he couldn't have picked a worse time to do it. "Yeah," Scott said, again almost automatically when he realized Erik was watching him.

Erik smiled at him and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I'm sure you can deal with the others in Washington. I have a few other places to be. Best to strike now, while they are unprepared."

Scott almost pointed out that it felt like something the Sentinel program would do, but Erik was already rising up above the ground, so he closed his mouth and nodded instead. "I'll see you when you get back."

Still, even with Erik's comment about striking fast, Scott found that he wasn't in a hurry to find the next target. This one would have been a little harder to get into if he had been planning to strike them the way he usually would — a government office from which the Sentinel strike had been launched. It was well-protected, and it would be hard to infiltrate.

So, of course, it would be easier to simply flatten it.

For a second, Scott nodded to himself and closed his eyes — which did make it easier, honestly. The whole purpose of going after these people was to show that they couldn't get away with mass murder, and when he closed his eyes, he could still see Genosha. And when he opened them again, the red glow of his visor was brighter for just a moment before he lifted it and simply opened up his powers until there was nothing left standing.

He replaced the visor and shook his head for a second — headache was starting to set in pretty badly after two leveled buildings. His feet moved almost automatically to bring him out of there, and he was almost to the rendezvous point when he saw the first yellow X-Men uniform — it was nice that they picked a color that was easier to see with his visor. The contrast was better.

"I'm not here to fight you," he said in a weary sort of tone.

"Good for you," Logan replied as he rushed right for him, clearly ready to hit him hard.

Scott let out a breath but spun to face him, catching Logan with a hard enough blast that it  _should_ have knocked him out, but it just knocked him back, not out. Scott frowned and turned up the heat a notch ... or… he tried to. The headache behind his eyes told him he was running out, and Logan was walking against the grain of the blast.

Which was frustrating enough on its own, but compound that with a  _bamf_ noise just behind him an instant before something cold and metal snapped around his neck, and the beam shut off an instant later.

" _Guten Abend_ ," Kurt said with a grin. "I think it's long past time we had a civil word that didn't result in a  _building_ coming down."

"So you brought an inhibitor collar," Scott shot back, his hands in fists as he spun to face him.

"Well, you've proven yourself unable to listen to reason otherwise," Kurt replied as Logan made it the rest of the way there — clearly ready to fight if need be. "It would be smart to simply come along peacefully."

Scott looked between Kurt and Logan for a moment. "Where?" he asked slowly.

Logan kept a steady glare as Kurt tipped his chin. "We have a plane. Nothing as dramatic as floating metal discs, but it is a bit faster."

Logan took a hold of Scott's arm and simply started pulling him along — the threat clear even without being spoken: he wanted Scott to  _try_ and fight _._  And when Scott yanked his arm, trying to get Logan to back off, Logan simply took a better grip, and in a few moments Scott's arm was twisted up between his shoulder blades at a highly uncomfortable angle as, once again, Logan pushed him along.

Even with the visor on, it was clear to see Scott wasn't happy about the state of affairs… though he almost couldn't  _help_ it when he saw the blackbird and paused, getting another little push out of Logan.

"That's a blackbird," he breathed out. As much time as he'd spent with Erik, he was still a pilot's son, and  _that was a blackbird._

"Yep," Logan replied. "Little warmer and faster than your boss's discs."

"No kidding," he said, a smile tugging at his expression despite everything as they climbed inside. He did try and school his expression a little better, but that went out the window too once Kurt put them in the air. Even if Logan wouldn't let him anywhere near the cockpit, he was still flying in a  _blackbird._

"Touch anything you shouldn't and I'll take your hand off," Logan warned.

Scott rolled his eyes behind the visor. "Really embracing the civility of the conversation."

"I'm not one that's big on words," Logan replied easily.

"Or inspiring confidence in people your team 'wants to talk to'."

"You want me to take your tongue out before you get there? Won't bug me much — and we got telepaths for that."

" _Logan_ ," Kurt said in a harsher tone.

"Mind your job, Elf." Logan sat back, finally having let Scott's arm go. "I don't know how much more I can patch this thing up if you forget how to land right."

Scott narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything, not when it was obvious that no one was going to listen anyway. He was, however, surprised when almost as soon as they'd landed, Logan took a moment to simply pop his claws to cut through Scott's helmet, making it completely unusable.

"What the hell?"

"Got no need for it here," Logan said. "And can't trust someone that insists on hiding all the time."

"And I don't trust someone who leads with amputation threats."

"Considerin' you opened trying to blast me across the road? Not too concerned."

"It wouldn't have been fatal," Scott said.

"No, it wouldn't," Logan agreed. "Doesn't mean I should forget it."

"That's your problem, isn't it."

Logan started to growl low at that, though Charles' timing was impeccable, as always, as he made a point to step in. "Welcome to my home," Charles said warmly as he arrived, strategically putting himself in between Scott and Logan. "I'm sorry to meet you under such circumstances, but I didn't think it would come to this." He turned toward Logan. "The other jet sustained some damage, if you have a moment."

Logan didn't say anything, but the growl rippled for a moment before he simply turned and headed off to a different area of the hangar — where Scott saw another jet with a massive hole in the side of it.

"You know, if you wanted to talk, you couldn't have led with a worse representative," Scott said, frowning down the way Logan had left.

"To be honest, I didn't know if it was you or Erik that I'd find there," Charles said frankly. "I'm sure Wolverine was just as disappointed as you were at the assignment."

Scott pressed his lips together but didn't say anything — especially since he knew they hadn't been that far off. Half an hour earlier, and they would have had Erik, too. He was just waiting for them to make their demands — and half keeping an eye out for a way to get out.

"Contrary to whatever Wolverine told you, he wouldn't have caused you more harm than whatever it took to get you here," Charles promised.

"Mm," Scott said, clearly not believing it.

Charles smirked as he led the way — with Kurt following close behind, of course. "He carried you out of that cave in Genosha, you know."

"I did not," Scott said with a frown.

"Erik came to me asking for our help, and we brought him back as quickly as we could," Charles continued. "That had to have been horrific. And I'm so very sorry that you had to go through that."

Scott's frown deepened at that, though he didn't say anything except to lock his jaw.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Charles asked. "I genuinely am concerned, and it's not my intention to bring up painful memories. I simply wanted to illustrate that we're not as far apart as you would think in some matters."

"I never thought we were that far apart," Scott said, his hand in a fist tapping against his side. "I figure it's better to have more people doing good, even if we don't take the same approach."

Charles smiled pleasantly. "It absolutely is," he agreed. "It's only the method and the end result that differs." He paused. "Did Erik tell you where it was that we parted opinions?"

"Just that you don't go far enough," Scott said.

"Ah, he does think that," Charles said. "Yet, I disagree not only in that point, but in our end goals as well."

"So you don't think mutantkind should be left alone — and safe."

"I think mutantkind should be allowed to live the same free life as non-mutants," Charles said. "But I don't think that there's any reason that we can't all live in peace together. The humans only need to understand that we're not a threat to them — and that we simply want the same life they think we want to take away from them."

Scott let out a hollow sort of laugh. "That would be nice," he said.

"I believe it's simply a matter of education and rising up to be the better man more often than not."

"Right." Scott shook his head. "That sounds great. It does. But that's not the way the world works."

"No? Do you truly think that we don't have people here that have been hunted down for their appearance — or used for their abilities? I know you've seen horrors on Genosha, but I assure you, my young friend, if hatred and ignorance is left unchecked — or if mutantkind is left in the dark as a secret as has been the case for years — it can indeed get worse. Which is why education of the public in general is so vital. Not threats."

Scott seemed to be taking a long moment to choose his words. "I met every ship that came into Genosha," he said at last. "Every one of those people was trying to  _live_. Talking and education didn't do anything to keep them safe in the end," he said, his tone dropping off to a bitter one by the time he was finished.

Charles was nodding slowly. "Gathering them all up and putting them in one place where they were a large target certainly didn't help stop those that were afraid of them either," Charles said. "Sometimes, the best methods don't involve separating people that are different. Not when it puts them at higher risk."

"Those people weren't a danger to anyone," Scott shot back, his tone rising.

"No, of course not," Charles agreed. "But they were also too large, and too tempting a target for those that couldn't  _use_ them." Charles leaned toward Scott. "Did Erik ever manage to account for every soul that was in Genosha?"

"There's no way we could. Some of them were blown to bits or crushed…"

"And some left inside Sentinels," Charles said. "Not all of them were there to simply destroy you."

"Then tell me where they are and I'll free them."

"I have someone on it," Charles said. "But you've made the job that much harder, destroying the buildings you did."

Scott stopped and then narrowed his eyes, already shaking his head. "They killed innocent people."

"There are more sinister things in play than simple murders, Scott," Charles said. "Not that they are forgivable. But there are other things."

"And where do you draw the line?" Scott shot back angrily. "There's always something terrible on the next horizon. So you let some people get away with genocide as long as it's in service of the next mission?"

"It's not our place to kill," Charles said. "And I did not come close to excusing anyone for the murders of the innocent."

"No one is going to hold them accountable," Scott said, honestly upset by that point. "No one will ever bring them to a trial."

"If all anyone ever sees of mutants is their destructive capability, how can you expect the rest of the world to even consider seeing them as anything but a menace? You can't win anyone's hearts — and you can't win anything so important as this — without doing good. And holding yourself to a higher standard than those that would kill you for the simple act of being born different."

Scott blinked for just a moment — thrown off if nothing else because he had been thinking the same thing before. "I… stay out of my head."

"I haven't been in your head, Scott," Charles said with a harder tone than before.

"I never told you my name," he shot back.

"You didn't have to," Charles said. "The children you protected in Genosha called you 'Scott' when my team found all of you — and got you out. They were quite concerned that 'Scott' be helped. And they led us to you."

Scott relaxed slightly at that. "Ah."

"Unless it's an extreme circumstance, I don't violate anyone's privacy," Charles said. He tipped his head. "Though it is incredibly hard to ignore sometimes when people are projecting loudly."

Scott seemed to search Charles' expression for any sign of a lie before he finally nodded. "I was under the impression you wanted to talk," he said at last.

"And I do," Charles said. "But perhaps it would be best if you cleaned up and had a bite to eat."

"I'm fine," Scott said automatically.

"Of course you are," Charles said with a wave. "But all of us can't live like that, Scott, and before we sit down to talk, I'll require a cup of tea at the very least."

Scott frowned and let his shoulders drop, trying for a more approachable tactic. "Professor Xavier, I appreciate the offer. I do. But I just want to go back home. So whatever it is you have to say, please… go ahead."

Charles watched him for a moment. "Join me in my office, Scott," Charles said. "No reason to have our talk where the whole school can hear us." They turned the corner from the elevators, and the sleek walls gave way to rich wood paneling that looked like it belonged in Europe rather than upstate New York. The halls were lined with portraits — graduating classes, school clubs, and many of the different variations on the X-Men teams over the years.

But what Scott wasn't expecting was the line of kids running down the hall that slowed with grins as they walked past the professor, excusing themselves for running. And not one of them looked like they were under much stress as Charles smiled back at them.

"It's getting close to a big weekend," Charles explained. "They're simply excited for the field trip."

Charles led the way into his office, and when he came to a stop near the fireplace, Scott took a look around the room. It was a bit more ornate than he'd expected, but it wasn't showy like Erik's throne room — even if he did see a picture that caught his attention that looked like it could have been of Pietro if not for the age.

"Where did you take this?" he asked.

"Years ago," Charles said with a fond sort of look. "We met in Israel and became fast friends." He gestured to a chessboard near the bookshelf that looked to be partway through a game. "We still play. Long distance, of course."

"Erik taught me," Scott said with a smile.

"Oh, good," Charles said, matching his smile. "I'd hate to think he's getting rusty when he won't come around often enough to put on a good game."

"He's busy," Scott said quickly.

"Yes, we all are," Charles said. "And as I said — we're still playing. It just takes a much longer time between moves when it comes via mail."

Scott smirked at that as he looked around the office. "So," he said at last even as Charles prepared himself some tea, "what is it you wanted me for?"

"I believe you misunderstand," Charles said. "I want to make sure you're alright — first and foremost. What you've been through — as close as you were, as personal as it was to you — you've been through an unspeakable ordeal. And I don't mean just Genosha. Everything after that … it was clear you were hurting, and I simply can't stand to see people put themselves through hell if they can find ways to cope."

Scott couldn't hide his look of shock — especially when he was used to being able to hide his expression behind the helmet and visor — before he took in a quick breath and shook his head. "I'm fine," he said.

"And of my many years of working with young people, one thing has remained constant. 'I'm fine' universally means that the person speaking is anything but."

Scott let out a tired-sounding laugh. "I was there when the Sentinels killed hundreds of people, Professor Xavier."

"Please, call me Charles or Professor."

"Fine then," Scott said. He shook his head. "Then tell me, Charles, what you want me to say."

"Just the truth," Charles replied. "How are you? What can I do to help?"

"What  _can_ you do?" Scott replied, his eyes narrowed. He didn't know what Charles wanted from him, and he certainly didn't entirely believe that he was just there to  _talk_. "You can't undo a genocide. And you said you won't help me hold the ones responsible accountable. So what, exactly, can you do?"

"No, I said I wouldn't kill; there is a distinct difference there," Charles said. "And I'm not asking you on a global scale. I'm asking about  _you_. Specifically."

Scott considered his words carefully. "Tired," he said at last. "I'm very tired of being so angry all the time."

"Then let me help you with that much at least," Charles said gently.

"Why?" Scott held up his hands. "You've never stepped in before."

"Mostly because there is already too much anger in the world. And this is the first I've met you where you weren't unconscious."

"I don't want you to change anything," Scott clarified. "I need… I can't keep up with Erik if I can't keep that anger there."

"Then perhaps you should consider why it is that you're so tired, and if it's worth continuing."

"I can't let him do this alone," Scott said, sounding almost insulted.

"He's not alone," Charles said. "And I'm not trying to push you away from him. But Erik has always had trouble with control himself if he wasn't angry. It's been the sole thing in his life that has pushed everyone he's ever cared about away as well."

"That's not true," Scott said, shaking his head.

"It is," Charles said. "It pushed his wife, Magda, to leaving him with their children, and it's kept his children from ever truly being close. I know he holds Lorna dearer than the others, but I also know he rarely spends more than a passing moment with her."

"That's not anger," Scott said. "He's busy. I'm — that's why I'm trying—"

"Too busy for his own children?"

Scott blinked and then shook his head again. "That's why I took over running Genosha. So he had more time…"

"And did he use it with any of them?" Charles said before answering his own question. "Of course not. It's never been his intention to truly be a part of the family he has."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"My dear boy, I have seen him through every step of it; if anyone knows, it's me."

"You haven't seen what I have," Scott said. "You… he found me and—"

"And you haven't seen what I have — though I would show you if you wanted to know. To see what he was like all those years ago and how he handled himself over the years."

"It doesn't matter," Scott said, his tone rising.

"It does, Scott," Charles said, though he was keeping his own voice even. "The ends do not justify the means. Not if you're willing to destroy everything in your path to get what you want."

"He's just trying to save mutants," Scott said.

"He's trying to pay back those that have done him damage in the past. But they're all gone. And he's still angry."

"Of course he is. He showed me what it's still like — the mass murders and the labs and the weapons programs…"

"One of our team members was used by one of the weapons programs. For decades. He's not waging war against the humans. That's not an excuse."

Scott was shaking his head as he got to his feet. "Stop," he said. "Just stop."

"Stop what, Scott?" Charles asked. "I'm telling you the truth."

"Erik saved my life," Scott said sharply.

"And I am very glad he did," Charles said. "But I have to wonder — how many people died that day in the process?"

"He…" Scott shook his head. "The doctor he  _thought_ he killed—" He paused and seemed to catch himself. "That's my family you're talking about, Charles," he said.

"And believe it or not, I consider him a part of mine too. But just because they are family — just because you love them — does not mean they are incapable of being wrong."

Scott narrowed his eyes as he started to pace a small path. "We're just trying to help," he said at last.

There was a soft knock on the door before it opened and Jean stepped in. "Is everything okay, Charles?"

Charles gave her a warm smile as she closed the door behind her, but Scott was absolutely frozen, obviously shocked — though Charles noted that it was a sort of shocked smile. "Jean?"

She looked up at him for a moment and did her best to hide her own smile, though it wasn't very successful. "You were shouting," she explained, tapping the side of her head.

"I wasn't…" He shook his head, still looking shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"I go to school here," Jean said. "For one thing. Tutor the smaller kids .."

Scott's smile was slowly widening without him really being aware of it. "That's great," he said. "That's…"

"What about you, Scott? Are you thinking of enrolling?" She raised one eyebrow. "Can always use more tutors ... "

"I… well, I mean..." Scott shook his head. "I can't leave my family right now. Not… you know what happened to Genosha, right?"

"Yeah, I do," she agreed, nodding for a moment before she frowned deeply. "I thought you said .."

"I..." He looked down at the uniform he was still wearing and let out a breath. "Yeah, I didn't … Magneto sort of… took me under his wing when I was about fourteen. It's not official, but… it's family."

"Oh." She drew in a deep breath and took a step back.

"Hey, no, I'm not—" Scott shook his head. "No, I don't know what you've heard here, but—"

Jean frowned at him for that. "What I've …  _what I've heard here_? What I've seen on the news? The stuff that's gone on the air before they could censor it?"

"I just… I know he's got that band of idiots, and I swear, I don't — nothing like that—"

"He said — just yesterday on the news — that if a thousand humans had to die to save one mutant, he wouldn't blink." She narrowed her eyes. "Not  _all of us_ have families that have an active X-gene. But those people don't mean anything to him. At all."

"That… I didn't hear…" Scott looked completely thrown off.

She had her hands in fists at her side as she almost glared his way — her cheeks held an almost bright red blush that clashed spectacularly with her hair and accented every freckle across her nose. "You should listen to the news more, then," Jean said. "Hardly a broadcast goes by without him saying something like that in it."

"He's ... after Genosha, he's ... we're all angry..."

" _It was the same before Genosha_ ," she said.

Scott looked shocked, almost entirely still as he watched Jean. "I'm sorry," he said at last, almost at a whisper.

"For what?" Jean almost demanded.

"I didn't — I didn't know he was — that's  _not_ what we're trying to—"

She tipped her chin up slightly. "Well maybe that's not what  _you_ were trying to do, but don't … just don't." Her voice cracked just a bit toward the end of her statement, and she looked over to Charles. "I shouldn't have interrupted."

"Jean, no, I—" Scott almost stepped toward her and then stopped. "I should have told you. I didn't know things were like this or I'd…" He let out a breath. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to do anything that would hurt you. Or… anyone."

Jean's eyes were clearly brimming, though she didn't look away from him at all. "I'm really happy you made it out of there, Scott." And with that, she turned and seemed to half tuck into herself on her way back out the door.

The change in Scott was almost instantaneous as soon as the door was closed. He simply sank into the chair he'd been occupying earlier, staring at the desk in front of him but not seeing it at all — it was clear he just didn't know what to do with… any of it.

"Scott," Charles said after a long moment had passed. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that you didn't have the whole story. I'll speak with Jean. She … can sometimes be a bit fiery."

"It's fine," Scott said quietly.

"No, it's really not," he said in a breath. "And she's going to need a moment as well. My offer for help stands. And it always will."

Scott stared at the desk for a long moment before he simply closed his eyes and nodded. "Fine," he said. "Can't hurt at this point."


	12. Welcome to Westchester

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jean and Scott finally get some alone time together, and Scott gets to see the X-Men in their natural habitat lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Totally forgot to put this up yesterday because I was having too much fun at my archery lessons and then playing Zelda with my husband oops not sorry :P

 

* * *

 

Charles sat in his office long after he'd asked Kurt to show Scott to a room where he could stay the night. It had been obvious that there wasn't much more they could do in that session by the end of it, not when Scott had already been so drained from how hard he and Erik had been pushing back since Genosha, and not on top of the weariness from dredging up what they had.

At first, Charles had started simply by showing Scott the truth of what he and the X-Men were trying to do at the school. He showed the young man his own memories of the good the X-Men had done as well as his memories of meeting several of them — especially Jean, who had needed so much help when they first met.

It was an interesting contrast, to say the least, when compared to what Charles saw in Scott's mind of his first meeting with Erik.

It was easy enough to see why the young man had been so loyal to Erik when Charles saw for himself what the story was. The man in Scott's memories — who looked nothing like the one Jean remembered but who was clearly identified in Scott's mind as the same doctor — had left the boy clearly traumatized, and it was obvious Erik had seen it.

Charles was sure, because he knew his old friend, that Erik didn't realize the extent to which Scott had come to love him as family. Likely, Erik had seen that fierce loyalty and accepted it as that alone — perhaps he even understood that Scott felt he owed his life to Erik. But there was more at play here, a fierce protectiveness from Scott that Charles had also seen in the minds of the children that had worried over him in Genosha.

And that wound, that trauma of losing Genosha, was obviously still fresh as well. Scott had seemed reluctant to allow Charles to see any of what had happened, but he hadn't argued the point when Charles pressed him, either. Likely what he said about being tired was true — he didn't seem to have a lot of the same fire he'd had earlier in Charles' office.

At first, Scott had only shown Charles the beginning of the attack, when he and Lorna had fought alongside Erik's twins in a desperate bid to save the island. But as the memory progressed and Scott found himself in the cave where so many people had died, they hadn't gotten much further before Scott was done.

It was exceedingly clear what had ended the session, too; the first young voice screaming for Scott's help ... only to be killed before Scott could arrive … as soon as that had happened, Scott seemed to break out of his passive weariness to declare that they were  _done_.

Charles had known that the memories of Genosha would be traumatic ones. But it was still hard to see what Scott had — and to see that, in every memory, Scott was blaming himself for not protecting the ones who had died.

It was little wonder Erik had taken that raw hurt and turned it to anger to use against humanity.

Charles frowned as he considered what to do. It was obvious to him now that Erik was being incredibly selective with Scott's exposure to the world, and from the genuine hurt and confusion that the boy was projecting, it was also obvious that he hadn't seen the extent of Erik's more extremist tendencies. Scott had worked with him to save mutants — not to tear down humanity.

Charles' instinct was to try to bring the young man under his own wing, but he also knew that the real progress wouldn't have been made without Jean. And he couldn't ignore that.

He made his way down to where Jean was sitting with her arms wrapped around herself. She wasn't nearly as upset as she had been, but it was clear that she was still emotional. Charles didn't even need to brush her mind to know that she was confused; she truly had started to fall for the boy she'd been writing, and that boy was nothing like the picture of Magneto's trusted lieutenant that Cyclops had been.

Jean looked up when Charles came in and gave him a small smile. "I'm sorry about interrupting you earlier," she said.

"On the contrary," Charles said with a warm smile, "I'm glad you did. We were arguing in circles, but you were able to more succinctly make the point I could not — and get him to consider that there was more going on than he had been told."

"Well, good," Jean said, almost to herself.

Charles folded his hands underneath his chin. "Jean," he said gently, "would you like me to show you what we discussed? I believe it would ease your mind to see the truth."

Jean hugged her arms a little tighter before she nodded. "Alright," she said slowly, and Charles simply opened his mind to her so he could share what he knew.

* * *

Scott had slept pretty hard after his talk with Charles — worn out in more ways than one — so it wasn't until there was a knock on the locked door where he was staying that he even woke up.

It took him a moment to get his bearings again, because he had been deep asleep and dreaming. But when he remembered that he was in Westchester, he had to shake his head at whoever was at the door. The lock was on the other side, so whoever it was would have to let themselves in anyway.

"Come in," he called out.

He had been expecting it to be Charles, if he was honest. The professor did seem to be genuinely concerned about Scott's state after Genosha. And after seeing how he worked with the X-Men ... who were so much younger when they started than Scott had thought they were, even if now they were adults or at least young adults, as he was… Scott was inclined to at least be friendly with him.

But instead, it was Jean who came in — with breakfast, no less.

Scott sat up quickly and tried to look a bit more awake, suddenly aware of the fact that he'd been sleeping in shorts that someone had left in the dresser for him — along with a change of clothes for the morning. And on the other hand, Jean looked amazing with her hair pulled back, in jeans and a tee shirt.

Though seeing as she'd been pretty furious with him the last time they'd been in the same room, he wasn't entirely sure what to do.

"Good morning," she said with a smile that he was surprised — but relieved — to see.

"Morning," he said. "Sorry, if I'd known I was going to have company for breakfast, I would have…" He gestured to himself and then sort of shrugged.

"I can come back…"

"Just… let me get a shirt," he said, grateful when Jean, blushing slightly herself, stepped out long enough for him to quickly change before she let herself in again.

Jean took a deep breath as she sat down with Scott and he helped himself to some of the food. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to lose my temper."

Scott was already shaking his head before she'd even finished speaking. "No, no," he said quickly. "It's fine. I understand, really. I didn't tell you who I was, and if that's what Magneto's been saying when he's not on Genosha…" He shook his head. "I get it."

"I talked to Charles," she told him outright. "I know he talked to you about what we're trying to do at this school…"

Scott nodded. "Yeah, he showed me," he said. "I think it's great you're helping to tutor. I tried to set up a school in Genosha too, but it's not quite like this one…" He shook his head. "I know how hard it can be to learn control. It's a great idea, really."

Jean nodded. "I didn't know that. About the school."

Scott smiled lightly. "Yeah… one of the X-Men pointed out that we were just … asking mutants to come to Genosha and give up their lives, and it really stuck with me," he admitted. "I wanted to find a way to make Genosha a place where people could thrive, not just hide." His tone had turned almost sad. "We had a school… concerts… art… it was really..."

"I'm really sorry about what happened," Jean said quietly.

"Me too," Scott said, matching her volume.

Jean was quiet for a moment, since it was clear even without telepathy that it was still a raw subject. He was almost screaming with how much he was projecting what had happened — he was still reliving it when it came up. Charles was right — he was angry, but Jean could tell he was angry at himself just as much as he was at the people who had attacked them. He'd felt responsible for the people there; that much was clear from the fault he was projecting so much.

"I can just … give you some time to yourself if you like," Jean offered.

Scott shook his head almost automatically. "No, I mean… it's not a burger place, but…"

"It's a little easier than that," she said with a little smirk. "I could show you around a little bit if you want."

Scott couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, that would be great," he said. "I told Charles I'd meet him again for lunch, but other than that, I really don't have any plans."

"You've still got a few hours then," she said.

Scott nodded and quickly went to the door to get his boots on. "What do you tutor?" he asked. "Do you help other telepaths, or is it more of a general thing?"

"General studies, mostly," she said. "There aren't too many telepaths here." She shrugged up one shoulder. "Sometimes I help to calm people down if they're in a panic, too. If they're a danger to themselves."

"Do you get a lot of those?" Scott asked, genuinely interested. "We had a few on Genosha… people who were so scared they didn't know what to do with themselves."

"Um … well. Sometimes when the team brings in a rescue. If it's been really traumatic or if they were in a weapons program, they can sometimes react before they actually take stock of what's around them."

Scott nodded. "Yeah, we've seen that. It's hard," he said quietly.

"It's not bad when you get them somewhere they can feel safe to start with," Jean said.

"Yeah, and it helps sometimes to have someone else who's been through it — or something similar," Scott said.

"That really depends on what it is," Jean said with a smirk. "The ones that have been through the worst of it are hard to even get to talk to you."

"I'm sure they'd be alright with you," Scott said, then seemed to realize what he'd said and rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean… you seem like you'd be good at … your job."

"Yeah, I've been very soft-spoken and understanding with you, haven't I?" Jean teased.

Scott had to laugh at that. "Yes, well… I don't think you usually have to deal with anyone that close to Magneto, right?" he said. "You don't like him. And hearing what he said, I get it. It's fine, I promise."

"That's nice of you to say," Jean said. "But I'll try not to bring that up anymore."

"I'll try to talk to him," Scott offered.

"I don't know what to say to that, Scott," Jean said. "I don't think this would be a quick fix with him, and I don't want you getting into any more trouble."

"Yeah, but I can't ignore what you told me," Scott said.

She started to shake her head. "I really don't understand how you're not on the X-Men instead."

"I've been with Erik since I was fourteen," Scott said. "Before the X-Men even existed."

"I know; it's just the ideology that hangs me up, that's all. I'm not pushing for you to join the team. I just … nevermind."

Scott tipped his head to the side as he tried to explain it. "What you're doing here… giving mutants a safe haven and a place to learn their powers… that's what Genosha was supposed to be."

"I know," Jean said. "But this school... Erik was here to see the start of it long before he started Genosha. That's what Charles told me. And I have no reason not to believe him." She tapped the side of her head. "He can't lie to me."

"You must be pretty good, then," Scott said with a smirk. "Erik always told me that Charles Xavier was one of the most powerful mutants in the world."

"He is," Jean said, suddenly shrinking in on herself a little bit.

"Hey, it's not a bad thing to be powerful," Scott said, not quite understanding the change in her body language. "It's definitely a bigger target sometimes, but—" Whatever else he was going to say was cut off, though, when he took a bad misstep and nearly fell in the hallway — only to stop before he would have hit the ground when some invisible force caught him.

Jean had one hand out as she set him back upright. "Are you alright?"

Scott could feel his ears burning as he nodded. "Yeah. I … did you do that?"

"I didn't trip you," Jean said, holding up both hands. "But I did … keep you from hitting the ground."

"I didn't think you — how did you catch me?" Scott asked as he righted himself.

"I'm … I'm a telekinetic too," she said.

"Wow."

She blushed lightly at that and drew in a quick breath before starting down the hall again. "Um. The classrooms are this way."

"Right. Yeah," Scott said, nodding quickly before he caught up to her.

She quietly showed him the rooms, most of them of course more or less like the others, though the well-stocked library was impressive, as was the small theater. "You met our drama teacher already," she said, smirking. "Blue fur … tail. Slightly dramatic."

Scott couldn't help but smirk. "Oh, yes, that makes sense. I didn't realize the X-Men were teachers too."

"They all pitch in here," she said, nodding. "Everyone teaches something or another. Or tutors."

"Everyone?" Scott asked, one eyebrow raised as he thought of Wolverine's threats on the jet.

She nodded her head at that. "Yeah, everyone. They have the most popular classes, too."

"Huh."

She scrunched up her nose. "Okay, Go ahead and say what's on your mind."

"I'm just… trying to figure out what Wolverine would teach," Scott said. "Without traumatizing someone."

Jean couldn't help but smile at him. "History, self-defense, and occasionally some mechanic work."

"And the student injury rate is…"

"Amazingly low, believe it or not," she laughed. "Bumps and bruises, damaged egos … sure."

Scott watched her for a moment before he smirked. "Yeah, nope. I can't see it. All I'm getting when I try to picture it is kids running in terror when one of them gets a smart mouth and gets the tongue cut out."

"They fill up his classes so fast, though," she said, laughing to herself. "They feel like they won the lottery just for  _surviving it_."

"Masochists," Scott said with a smirk.

"I don't know. You might like it. He has the whole group go large parts of self-defense without their powers. It's a worst-case scenario, but he wants to be sure that no one is helpless if their abilities don't work."

Scott looked surprised for a moment. "You know, that's … actually a good idea," he said, unconsciously rubbing his hand over the inhibitor collar he was still wearing. "I never… it was always a focus on powers and control…"

"He spent a lot of time in the military," Jean said. "And other … places. He figures everyone else is worried about their powers. He pushes just … generally being ready."

"That's smart, especially with you living here, surrounded by the rest of the world instead of in isolation," Scott said thoughtfully. "It's not without its risks…"

"It's no bigger a risk than anyone else takes," Jean pointed out. "And if you can put some idiot on the ground without using your abilities, it's hard for them to accuse you of anything. Most mutants get in trouble for using their abilities for self-defense."

"See, that's the part I don't understand," Scott said. "If you want the world to accept you, they'll have to get used to powers. You shouldn't have to hide."

"Yeah, but … we're not hiding," Jean said. "Believe it or not, this town — the nearest one to us? They know what we are. And no one really minds."

"You are hiding if you're not using your powers out in the world," he said.

"But we do, when we need to. It's also a matter of using them when you should — as opposed to showing off." She smirked. "Just because I can speak French doesn't mean I should just bust out with it wherever I am for no reason."

Scott smirked at her. "And just because you can catch someone from falling on their face…"

"Do you want me to let you fall next time?"

"No," he said. "But it could be showing off, you know." He smiled lightly. "I didn't even know you could do that."

"Oh, you think that was showing off?" she said, smirking a little wider.

"See, now I want you to show off," he laughed. "Just for the look on your face. That one right there."

"I know you do," she laughed. "I just don't know if I  _should_."

"Oh, come on, Jean. We're in a school. Show off a little so I can learn what showing off looks like on you," he teased.

She tipped her head and took a hold of his arm. "Okay; we need to go outside though."

"Lead the way."

She took him out into the backyard and then couldn't stop the little troublemaking smile as she simply picked them both up and floated up to the level of the roof. Scott instinctively held on a little tighter before he broke into a huge grin. "This is amazing," he said, the grin getting even wider. "You can  _fly_."

"I can telekinetically lift and float," she corrected.

"You can fly," he laughed.

"Potato, pota-toe." She smiled at him. "I can also shield myself and others from anyone seeing us — or hearing us."

"How are you  _not_  an X-Man?" he asked, shaking his head with a grin.

She looked at him in open surprise. "What makes you think I'm not?"

"Well, you said you were a tutor, and…" Scott trailed off and then blinked at her with a surprised sort of smile. "Okay, now I feel like an idiot. Hello, Marvel Girl."

She couldn't help but chuckle. "Seriously? You didn't figure that out faster?"

"I… to be fair, there has been a  _lot_ on my mind…"

"There has," she said, letting her tone soften a little. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't pick."

"No, it's alright. It seems really obvious in hindsight," Scott said quickly. "It's a lot more obvious than I was with the whole… helmet and everything." He looked almost sheepish. "I can't just wear a mask, you know. Not with the powerset I have. I told you I can't turn it off when I was writing you, and the helmet helps."

"Okay. But how does that help?"

Scott tapped the side of his eyes. "Remember those glasses I was wearing when we met? It's… I don't know how it works, but the material in them and in the helmet's visor trap the beams and keep them from getting out."

"That's … huh." She frowned and tipped her head. "I wonder if that's something Charles could help with. He's been pretty amazing at helping people with all kinds of power sets work through control issues."

"I actually have a lot better control than I used to," Scott said.

"Yeah, but sometimes, it's not always a matter of what you're doing but how you do it," Jean pointed out. "One of our team members has done everything to get it under control, but … her powers more or less take a person's whole … essence? And she absorbs their powers and memories and personality. But she has trouble  _not_ using her power because she's spending so much time fighting an entire personality that she absorbed."

Scott raised an eyebrow and then nodded. "I can focus the beams, aim them… but I have  _no clue_ how to turn them off. I can get them down to love taps — but not  _off_."

She bit her lip when she heard that. "So … are your eyes always red, then?"

He nodded. "Yeah. The glow doesn't stop."

"That's a shame."

He blinked at her for a second and then flushed slightly. "Yeah. Well. I've been lucky… both times we've met, my powers were off…"

"Then I guess we should make sure the professor knows you want to learn how to turn it off," Jean said. "Sometimes. For reasons outside of blasting things that need blasting."

Scott chuckled at that. "You make it sound like a blunt force kind of thing."

"Well, it kind of seems that way," she laughed.

"I can get the focus down to almost a laser beam," he said.

"That's kind of cool," she said. "Have you written your name on anything?"

He burst into a laugh. "No, but now I think I should!"

She was smirking as she nodded along with him. "Or laser a 'kick me' sign on the back of the Juggernaut's helmet?"

"Hey, now we're talking!"

"I can almost promise that Iceman would be unable to  _not_ react to that."

"Well, of course not. It's a sign that says 'kick me', and from what I saw in the professor's memories, he's, what, twelve?"

"Mentally eleven and a half," she laughed.

Scott grinned at that. "I meant what I wrote before. I'm glad you've got good friends, Jean."

"Oh, I wanted to ask you ... since it seems like we're not … being awful with the separate teams thing … did you want to keep writing back and forth? Because … I don't have an  _address_ for you."

Scott looked surprised before he grinned again. "I'll send you a letter," he said. "I don't know where we're going to settle right now… Erik and I haven't really… stopped somewhere permanent in a while," he added, dropping off a bit at the end.

"I can ask Logan how he does it, then," Jean offered. "He knows how to keep in contact even when moving constantly."

"Well, maybe I can set up a mailbox and try to visit it when I can," Scott offered. "Because I do — yeah, I want to write you."

She smiled back at him. "Good. So. I just … had to be sure you weren't going to hate me because I've got an 'X' on my sleeve."

"As long as you don't hate me for my team affiliation," he pointed out. "Charles showed me how he helped you… I don't think you could turn your back on him any more than I could completely give up on Erik after he saved my life too."

"Does it look like I hate you, Scott?"

"No," he said, then smiled quietly. "It looks like you're…" He shrugged. "We … should really try to have a burger together. Sometime."

"We should," she agreed as she brought them both down near the back door. "But here we are, getting close to your time with Charles …"

"Right, yeah," he said. "We'll just… I'd like to ask you to dinner sometime. Maybe when I'm not wearing this." He tapped the collar.

"I'd like that," Jean said.

"Great," Scott said, honestly grinning as they got back inside, though when they did get to Charles' office, it was obvious neither of them was entirely ready to part ways. Jean was just sort of watching him, and Scott took a deep breath before he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"I … thanks for the tour."

She smiled a little wider at him. "That wasn't the full tour, but you're welcome. Any time."

"I guess I'll have to ask for the rest of the tour after I talk with Charles."

She nodded at that. "You probably will."

Scott grinned quietly before he did finally put his hand on the doorknob. "See you then," he agreed before he let himself in, still smiling to himself.

"Hello again, Scott," Charles said with a warm smile. "You seem to be in much better spirits this afternoon."

"Yeah," he said, unable to stop his smile.

Charles smirked quietly but didn't comment on the matter — though he was glad to see that Jean and Scott seemed to have worked things out between them, at least enough to put aside the differences in their affiliations. Charles had a feeling that Scott wouldn't need too much prompting to come around to his way of thinking as it was, but Jean was certainly helping to dispel the notion Erik had given the boy that the X-Men were naive.

"Jean was telling me about the school," Scott said as he sat down. "About the people here and how you learn to control your powers."

Charles nodded. "That has always been the aim of this school."

Scott let out a breath. "Do you think you could help me?" he asked, almost hesitantly.

Charles raised an eyebrow at that. "What is it you would like help with, Scott?"

Scott was quiet for a long moment as he weighed it out. "I don't want you to think…" He paused and seemed to rearrange his thoughts. "Erik taught me how to control my powers. I can change the size, the focus of the beams my eyes send out, but I can't… turn them off."

Charles nodded softly. "When our doctor examined you on Genosha, he found that out for himself when he tried to check your eyes."

"I didn't know that."

"You were unconscious at the time," Charles said. He rested his chin on his tented fingers. "I would be more than happy to help you if I can," he said at last. "I have never turned away a student who wanted to learn."


	13. The Blind Leading the Blind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Erik is NOT happy about how close Scott is getting to the X-Men. At all.

 

* * *

While Scott was talking to Charles, Jean made a beeline for Logan, who was working on the blackbird with Kurt — and the two of them were pretty well covered in grease and grime as they made their repairs.

"I need you to tell me how you get messages to people when you're travelling," she blurted out.

"Send a letter," Logan said without even looking her way.

"No. I mean how do you  _get_ them when you're travelling and you don't know where you're going?"

"You don't. Not without help."

"What kind of help?"

Logan let out a breath and stopped what he was doing to give Jean his full attention. "Why?"

"Because I want to know."

Logan narrowed his eyes for a moment, then let out a little huff before he shook his head. "No."

"Logan!" Jean gave him an incredulous look. "Please!"

Again, he let out a long breath as his shoulders dropped. "You need to have a lot of friends, Jeannie. Ones you can trust that can pass it on for you, hold onto it until you get close — and have a system of dead drops that you check when you're around. But it's not like a mailbox. You don't use 'em unless it's life or death."

"I don't suppose you'd tell me where some of yours—"

"No. No damn way." With that, Logan got to his feet and made his way over to where Jean was — specifically to push her out of the hangar. "I don't know what you're up to, but I can tell you for sure: my dead drops are head and shoulders over the kind of trouble you need to even think about. No. You want a penpal? Get an address. Write a letter like everyone else."

* * *

Scott hadn't expected a quick fix in his very first session with Charles, but he was still rather worn out from it as well. He hadn't even gotten to working on his powers, not when the collar was still on. But Charles had looked through his memories of what he  _had_ tried, as well as other memories of what he'd done and how Erik had created the helmet to allow him to use his powers in the field with just a flick of his wrist.

Still, Scott was looking forward to seeing the rest of the school with Jean, and he was tired but smiling when he caught up to her just before dinner. And by the time they'd gotten through the short rest of the tour, it was getting time to eat, too.

"I hope you like classic Southern food," Jean said. "It's Rogue's turn to cook tonight."

"I'm sure it'll be good," Scott said.

"She usually does a lot of comfort food? So everyone seems to gain like … five pounds every time."

"Sounds terrible. How do you cope?"

"I dream about these nights when Bobby cooks," she deadpanned. "He's got the distinction of being able to burn water."

"Well, hey, maybe we can get a burger on a Bobby cooking night," Scott offered. "Seeing as I'm back on the same continent again."

"That's what a lot of the staff does," she agreed, smirking. "The kids get pizza."

He smirked back. "Well, I'd be more than happy to come and scoop you out of that kind of trouble. Burning water."

"I think you might have to," she said with a little laugh.

Scott was smirking to himself as they got to the dining room, where most of the staff and several of the students were already tucking in. And for as comfortable as Jean had gotten around Scott, the staff that knew who Scott was were still understandably a little wary.

Which just had Scott falling quiet too, not entirely sure how to approach the team. Thankfully, it seemed like most of them were doing their own things anyway, like Remy trying to hit on Rogue or Logan and Kurt talking shop. But it was still odd… a reminder that he was technically in enemy territory.

At least until Ororo joined them.

"You must be Jean's Scott," Ororo said with a sly smile. "What do you think of our school?"

Scott's head came up, and he couldn't help but smile at the first warm reception he'd had beyond Charles and Jean. "Yeah… I ... Jean gave me the tour."

"She must have been very crafty to have managed to avoid all of us for that tour," Ororo said before she offered him her hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Scott. I'm Ororo."

"Nice to meet you too," Scott said with a smile.

"Do you know how long you'll be here with us? I'm sure you're in a hurry to get back to work."

Scott paused for a moment. "I… don't know," he said, suddenly a bit more self-conscious and not able to hide it as he was used to doing. The truth was that he had been so relieved to get some time to relax — and so wrapped up in being around  _Jean_ — that he hadn't even considered the fact that he was technically MIA.

"That's quite alright," she said warmly. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like — and play it by ear and see where it goes."

Scott nodded slowly. "I guess we'll just have to see," he said. "I don't exactly have a plan. I wasn't expecting to be here." He paused. "Or to … enjoy it so much."

"No one is pushing you out or trying to make you stay," Ororo said. "You are welcome here, as I said."

For a moment, Scott almost pointed out the collar, but Ororo looked so genuine that he could only let out a breath and nod. "Okay."

For the most part, the X-Men kept to their own conversations, and after realizing that most if not all the adults there were on the team, it was easy for Scott to pick out who was who. He still kept to himself mostly, which allowed him to observe anyway. It was obvious everyone there cared for each other; it was a much warmer atmosphere than anything Scott had seen outside of the families on Genosha and the kids that he'd tried to take care of.

Interestingly, Logan and Kurt's conversation about the blackbird — which had Scott's attention even if he was keeping his distance — was interrupted by some of the younger students coming to talk to them. And as Jean had said… there was no growling. In fact, the kids seemed to get their full attention.

It was just… very different than he had expected.

By the time dinner was over, Scott really wasn't sure what to make of anything that he'd seen since arriving there. It was just a lot to process… the warmth of the X-Men contrasted with the threats Erik had apparently been making.

Jean had noticed his preoccupation as they left the dining room to head back upstairs, and she dipped her head a bit to catch his attention. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he said automatically. "I just…"

"Was it that horrible?" she asked, frowning at him.

"No, no," he said quickly, holding both hands up. "It's just… this is so different to what I expected, and I'd love to stay indefinitely and try to figure out… all of it." He rubbed a hand over his neck above the collar. "That doesn't make sense."

She smirked and shook her head. "It does when you haven't been around it," she said. "For the most part, we're just showing common decency."

"No, I meant…" He let out a breath. "It's hard to figure out … I don't even know what to do with everything I've seen here."

"It's not something you plan to use against us, is it?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.

"No," he said quickly. "No, not at all. No, I — this school is amazing. I wouldn't — no."

She couldn't help but smile a little at that. "Good," she said as they reached his room, and then she popped up on her toes to steal a kiss. "Because that wouldn't be good at all."

Scott couldn't stop grinning. "Yeah, I mean, no, it wouldn't," he said, obviously redder than before. "I… yeah. Thanks for the tour and… yeah."

"You're cute when you're flustered," she said with a smile, though she was blushing lightly too.

"It's… hard not to be when you're… just so amazing," Scott said. He finally had a hand on the doorknob again. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Sweet dreams, Scott," Jean called out as she walked backwards, though once she was a few solid paces away, she turned quickly and simply made her way off, leaving him in peace.

Scott honestly couldn't stop grinning, even a long while later when Charles came by to check on him — to see how the young man was processing what he knew had to be a total upending of everything he thought he knew. So he certainly hadn't expected to come in to find Scott grinning up at the ceiling.

Scott sat up quickly but didn't quite stow the smile. "Hi, Charles," he said, still with that same grin on.

"I take it you had a good day, then?" Charles asked.

Scott nodded quietly. "Yeah. It's a lot to take in, but yeah." He gestured around the room. "This school is amazing. It's what I wanted Genosha to be."

"Then on one hand, I'm very sorry that it didn't get the chance to be all that you'd hoped for," Charles said. "But on the other hand, I'm also very glad that you were able to see it for yourself here."

"I just wish your school was bigger," Scott admitted. "We had so many people in Genosha. I know there's so many people who still need a haven."

"The idea of the school was to give young mutants — and others — the tools they need to live successfully without needing to be lumped into one space," Charles said. "But yes, I do wish it was big enough to give all of them sanctuary."

Scott nodded at that, looking thoughtful for a long time. "I… the team you have ... they obviously care about each other," he said at last. "I'm glad."

"They are very close," Charles agreed. "And even when they don't mesh well, personality wise, they learn to do more than simply tolerate each other."

Scott let out a breath. "I wish," he started to say and then caught himself and shook his head. "It's very different than I expected."

"I'm sure," Charles said.

Scott nodded, his hands folded in front of him as he thought things over, though before he could say anything further, the lock on the large window shuddered a second before it snapped and swung open — and Erik landed inside looking imperious as he looked over the scene.

But Charles looked positively delighted — and if he was angry at all, it didn't show in the least. "Erik! What a wonderful surprise! I wasn't expecting you to come to continue our game in person. Give me a moment, and I'll start up some tea."

Erik looked thrown for a moment before he shook his head lightly. "I'm not here to play chess, I'm afraid," he said, holding out one hand a moment before the collar around Scott's neck popped open, and Scott closed his eyes quickly as the collar disintegrated. "Really, Charles. You of all people stooping to such barbaric methods to come after one of my own."

"You find it that barbaric? Even when the alternative would be simply leaving the boy blind?" There was no anger obvious in Charles' voice, but the accusation was there all the same.

"I notice you didn't leave him with the helmet I gave him myself to avoid that very thing," Erik said. "Are you so determined to peer into his head?"

"Is there any reason you left him without a means to move about without something that hot and oversized?"

Erik waved a hand. "It's patterned after my own helmet," he said simply. "Admit it, Charles — you couldn't wait to get in the boy's head. What have you been telling him, hmm? Trying to preach your  _vision_?"

"Only the truth, old friend," Charles said.

"And the truth requires you to stoop to such levels."

"As always, Erik, I haven't done anything without permission," Charles said. "And I simply offered young Scott my services as a professional. Of course we compared ideologies. It was unavoidable. But that wasn't what my goal was. Believe it or don't. It is the truth even if you don't like it."

"Yes, I'm sure you obtained his permission when you kidnapped and collared my lieutenant," Erik said.

"It was Genosha," Scott said, breaking into the back and forth between the two men. He still had his eyes screwed shut but his head tipped their way as he listened. "Professor Xavier is trained in psychology. He wanted to help after what happened." He tipped his chin up slightly. "Not all of us can run entirely on anger. Some of us were there to see it happen."

Erik narrowed his eyes for a moment before he turned to Charles. "I see," he said in a measured tone before he simply levitated himself — and used the metal around the room to compress into something to carry Scott as well, startling the young man who couldn't see it coming as he went to his knees and grabbed onto the edge of the disc to steady himself.

Jean came in just as they were leaving and stopped a few steps inside the open door. "What's going on?" she asked, looking and sounding incredibly concerned.

"I simply came to right a wrong, young lady," Erik said. "This is none of your concern."

"Of course it is," she said with a deep frown.

"Jean, it's alright," Scott said, though it was obvious from his expression that he was frustrated as well.

"Why are your eyes closed?" Jean asked, though when she realized what was going on, she turned toward Erik. "You're going to just drag him off  _blindly_?"

"I'm not the one who took the apparatus he uses to see," Erik sneered.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "No, you're the one that made sure he has no choice but to be  _marked_ wherever he goes so he  _can_ see." It wasn't until she too, was levitating slightly, though, that Charles spoke up.

"Jean, now is not the time," Charles said.

She didn't even turn Charles' way before she glared harder at Magneto and very obviously telekinetically lifted his helmet — just a bit, to make a point — and Erik glared at her as he turned up the magnesis a bit in response to readjust the helmet.

"Scared of a little girl, hmm?" she said, still glaring.

"Tired of entertaining this nonsense," Erik said, already turning to leave. "Charles… knight to E6," he said over his shoulder.

Charles smirked. "Bishop to F8."

Erik frowned at that, but rather than stay to continue the game, he simply left, still with Scott in tow.

They hadn't gotten too far before Scott spoke up again. "Erik, they weren't lying," he said. "Professor Xavier did offer to help. They were at Genosha and saw what happened."

"Charles Xavier has a way of offering help when it satisfies his own larger game," Erik said shortly. "Don't think that your worth to me wasn't a determining factor for  _why_ he offered his help. Or did you see him seeking out everyone who was there?"

Scott frowned at that. "I don't think — he made it clear he's not trying to do anything but help."

"I'm sure it seemed that way," Erik said.

Scott frowned a bit deeper and shook his head. "And what about you?" he asked, earning the kind of glare from Erik that would usually have made him pause, but he couldn't see it. "Have you really been declaring war on humanity as a whole? Even innocent people?" He tipped his chin up. "I know what you said about sacrificing a thousand humans for one mutant. What kind of world are you trying to leave behind, exactly?"

Erik was quiet for just a moment, and of course, Scott couldn't see the look of pure fury on his face, though it was obvious in his tone when he did finally speak. "What did he do to you?"

"What are you talking about?" Scott said. "That's not an answer."

"I want to know what he did. Clearly, he altered your mind in some way," Erik said. "What kind of a world." His tone was almost disgusted. "I thought we were well past the time when you'd need to ask me that, Scott."

"I thought so too, but then, I didn't know you were advocating  _sacrifices_ ," Scott shot back.

"For all the mutants that have been killed? One could look at it more like an eye for an eye."

"No," Scott said, shaking his head. "That makes us just as bad. You said we fight to save mutants. I didn't think …" He paused. "The revenge has to stop. We can't be like them. I can't — you can't ask me to level another building full of people for you."

Erik scoffed but didn't try to explain himself, though his heavy sigh was full of all kinds of unspoken irritation. They didn't seem to be airborne for too long before Scott felt himself being settled onto solid ground. "I'll be back to speak with you again. I have other things to attend to — and no patience to spare for anyone who insists on being so obstinate and unreasonable."

"It's not unreasonable to ask questions," Scott shot back, though he heard a door shut shortly thereafter and frowned to himself, since he still didn't really have his bearings. He took just a moment to get a hold of his own frustration and anger before he put a hand out to slowly feel his way around the room. He did find a bed, but even after he'd checked every surface he could bump into… no glasses.

He swore under his breath before he made his way back to the bed. There wasn't a thing he could do, and he spent a good amount of time fuming about it before he did finally manage to go to sleep — though it took a good long time before that happened.

* * *

"Are you really going to sleep all day now?" Lorna asked from across the room.

Scott didn't move from where he had his hands behind his head, his face pointed up at the ceiling, though his eyes were still closed. "I'm not asleep. Come on in."

"If you're not asleep, then why the heck …"

Scott gestured vaguely toward the bedside table. "Don't know where my glasses are," he said, the frustration obvious in his tone.

"What are you talking about? How did you lose them?"

"I didn't  _lose_ them," Scott said. "I was wearing my helmet before, and when Erik came to get me from the X-Men, he didn't bring my glasses. He's the one that knows where they are; I don't even know where  _I_ am."

She was quiet for a moment before she ventured deeper into his room. Scott felt the shift on the mattress as she took a seat next to him. "I don't understand. Why would he do that?"

"We're having an argument," Scott said dryly.

"So he left you  _blind_?"

"Yeah." Scott let out a breath. "Lorna, do you remember the girl I told you about, Jean?"

"Of course," she said. "Your super sweet pen pal."

"She's an X-Man," Scott said.

"Wait,  _what?_ "

"Yeah, surprised me too," Scott said with the beginnings of a smirk.

"So you totally have a crush on either a hero or a terrorist, depending on who you ask," she said with a laugh.

Scott couldn't help but smile at that. "You're not wrong," he said. He finally sat up so that he was at least facing her. "I almost lost her friendship, though," he said, more seriously. "Because of Erik and what he's been doing."

"Oh no," Lorna said quietly. "What's he been up to now?"

"I want to find a newspaper or something to corroborate it, but … Jean was so upset I don't think she was lying when she said he's been saying humans are … expendable."

She cringed at that. "I don't know what to tell you about that, Scott," she said quietly. "I don't think I can remember the last time I've seen a newspaper."

"I don't know either," he admitted. "I confronted Erik about it, and he seemed to think Professor Xavier messed with my mind while I was there with the X-Men."

"Did he?"

"I don't think so," Scott said. "I'm not sure." He rubbed a hand over his neck. "But I do know Erik was furious when I argued with him about it. And…" He gestured to the empty bed stand. "Yeah."

"Oh, Daddy can't stand it when anyone disagrees with him," Lorna said.

"If he's not calling for humans to be sacrificed, then why can't he just say so?" Scott said. "I wouldn't have argued with him if he would just explain to me why there are people out there who think he's fine with killing innocents!"

"I'm not arguing with you, Scott," Lorna said. "But I know he doesn't care much at all for non-mutants. And that extends beyond just humans."

Scott shook his head. "Jean's sister, her parents — they're human," he explained. "What do I tell her and other people like her when I'm supposed to be Magneto's right hand?"

"I don't know that there's anything that  _can_ be said."

Scott let out a breath and nodded. "I just think we're supposed to be helping innocents. Bringing down labs and killers, that's one thing, but … he said it was practically like an eye for an eye, and I just can't …"

"Can I give you a hug?" Lorna asked. "Because you look like you need it. And I don't know what to say."

Scott couldn't help but smile at that. "Yeah. Yeah, me neither," he said before he shifted to pull her into the hug first.

* * *

It took a few days before Erik finally came to talk to Scott, though the long period of time stranded with not much to do but think of all that he had seen and learned… not just in Westchester but from Erik himself… hadn't exactly helped matters. The simple fact that it  _had_ taken days spoke volumes as well.

But, finally, Erik let himself into the room, his arms crossed as he drummed his fingers for a moment. "Scott," he said at last, catching the young man's attention and letting him know who it was in the room, "I can't begin to express how concerned I am. I feel I haven't properly prepared you to deal with my old friend. It's not your fault that he was able to so easily sway you."

Scott frowned at that. He'd had time to think about it, and he was sure that he was himself; he didn't feel any different. "I still want to know—"

"Yes, yes," Erik said, waving his hand impatiently. "I know what it is you heard in Westchester." He let out a breath as he walked further into the room. Scott couldn't see how plainly annoyed he looked, and when he did speak, it was in a measured tone. "Scott, anything I might have said in anger should not be reason for you to give up on the vision we've built together."

"I'm not giving up on that," Scott said quickly, sitting up a bit straighter. "I still want to keep mutants safe. I just …" He paused. "I don't want to  _only_ be angry. I want to help them beyond revenge, like we were doing on Genosha."

"Of course you do," Erik said. "And haven't I given you everything you need to do that?" He stopped close to Scott, watching the young man in front of him. "I need you with me, Scott," he said as he handed him his glasses.

Scott turned the glasses over in his hand for a moment before he put them on again, instantly relaxing when he was able to see again. "I never said I was going to abandon you or our mission," Scott said. "I just want to make sure that anger and revenge isn't consuming you." He looked up at Erik. "I'm trying to look out for you too."

Erik raised an eyebrow for a moment, surprised by the genuine tone, before he sat down beside Scott. "I want to rebuild Genosha," Erik said. "But it will be different this time. A space station that cannot be reached so easily."

"It would be a target," Scott said.

"We are always targets, Scott," Erik said, his tone hardening a bit. "You know that. Our gifts frighten those who have none."

"I know, but after Genosha—"

"I won't allow that to happen again, Scott," Erik said sharply. "Believe me."

Scott frowned but nodded all the same. "I still want to help," he said. "I can't ignore the way mutants are being hurt and killed."

"Good." Erik got to his feet. "I have a new helmet for you. We still have much work to do."

Scott raised an eyebrow over his glasses at that. "Where are we going?"

"A Sentinel processing plant," Erik said. "Unless you've decided even those are worthy your pity?" He looked down his nose at Scott, who straightened up unconsciously.

"No," Scott said quickly. "No, I'm with you. Those things should be destroyed."

Erik smirked at that and headed for the door. "Excellent. Come along now, Scott. There's work to be done."


	14. The Other Summers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the X-Men get quite the surprise when they go to Hawaii.

 

* * *

 

_Dear Jean,_

_I'm sorry it took me so long to write to you. I haven't had a chance until now._

_I talked to Magneto about what you said. He wasn't exactly happy about it, but he admitted he was speaking in anger. I know that's not exactly comforting for how extreme what he said was, but I promise, I'm going to do what I can to keep him from acting on that anger._

_I set up a mailbox when I came to mail this letter off. I don't know how often I'll be able to check it, but I'll try as often as I can._

_I wish I could write more, but I don't have much time. I'm mostly getting this down at the post office while they're setting up the mailbox for me. I'll try to write again soon. I just wanted to write you and thank you for everything. I'd really like to come see you again soon._

_Sincerely Yours,_

_-Scott_

Jean hadn't gotten the letter until she and the other X-Men were practically on their way out the door, so she had tucked it away to read on the flight out to Hawaii to pick up a mutant in trouble.

At first, she had been thrilled — not only to get a letter but to see the return address and have something that she could  _use_ to talk to Scott. She'd been going crazy waiting to hear back from him — and the wait had been several days longer than she'd expected.

So to get something like this as the first letter in days…

Jean wasn't sure which was more prominent at the moment: her worry or her anger. She knew that Magneto and Cyclops had recently hit a Sentinel factory, but that had been days after he was in Westchester. And she had to wonder what had kept him from writing for so long.

And then, of course, there was anger. She knew that Erik had saved Scott, that Scott really did care about him, so it would be hard for Scott to think too badly of him. She was just frustrated that Erik was lying to him — and that Scott believed him. Or at least believed that he could stop him.

"Jean?" Warren said quietly. "Are you alright?" He had taken up the seat across the aisle from her as the X-Men made their way toward another mutant in trouble. "You look pretty lost in thought."

Jean looked up and smiled at Warren for a moment. "I'm just considering where best to shove Magneto's helmet," she admitted.

"I'm sure the options are few," Warren said with a smirk. "But if you're really lost on ideas, I can help come up with a few."

Jean smirked at that and gave his arm a squeeze. "Thanks. I'm sure I can figure it out," she said.

"Seriously, are you going to be okay for this run? I'm sure no one will mind if you just stay in the jet if you're feeling off."

"I'm not feeling off," she said. "I'm just frustrated." She let out a breath. "I finally hear from Scott, and all he can say is he's  _busy_."

"Sounds like your boyfriend has a boyfriend."

Jean shoved him in the shoulder for that one, though she was smirking. "No, but he is being stupid," she said. "Thinks he can, I don't know, talk Magneto down when the professor has been trying for years."

"Oh, he's not stupid; he's crazy."

"Yeah, no kidding," Jean said, shaking her head with her eyes narrowed. "He's going to get himself in trouble. Or worse."

"Good thing his other girlfriend is on the X-Men to save him."

Jean let out a little laugh and shoved him back a few steps. "Yeah, good thing."

"If you two are done flirting, we're about to land," Logan said.

"So maybe get it together unless you want Logan playing welcoming committee," Kurt said.

"Oh, are you offering to do the mission for us? Great; we could have taken a vacation," Warren said with a smirk.

"Only if you plan to clean up after Bobby tonight," Kurt shot back.

"Children," Storm cut in, though she was smirking hard, "let's just find this mutant before you all scare him away."

The group of X-Men made their way further into the island — though when they did find the young man who had called for help, Jean almost stopped in her tracks. He looked a  _lot_ like Scott, but younger, blond, and tan.

Storm was the one to step forward to introduce herself with a warm smile, though she did notice that he seemed reluctant to shake her hand and had his arms crossed tightly.

"Wow," the blond said, wide-eyed. "Where … exactly did you guys come from anyhow?"

"All the way from New York," Bobby put in.

His head went forward slightly, and his eyebrows went straight up. "Seriously? How did you even … okay. How … did you come here for something else and happened to come across me, or did you really like … fly all the way here just for me?"

"It's part of what we do," Storm explained. "When we hear about mutants in trouble, we reach out."

"Are you hurt?" Jean asked suddenly, tipping her head at his body language.

"No," he said, shaking his head slowly. "No, I'm fine, it's just … it's best if I keep to myself. Thanks." He seemed to wrap his arms tighter around himself as he took a step back, away from them.

"It's alright," Storm said gently. "Everyone has trouble with their powers at first."

"Not like this," he said, shaking his head still.

Ororo raised an eyebrow. "No?" she said and then held out a hand, creating a microburst over her hand. "I suppose not. Not everyone creates a storm capable of wiping out cities when they get angry."

"Okay, so that's probably the coolest thing I've ever seen, but it's also really pretty? And I just … destroy things."

"How so?"

"I just … like. Blow stuff up." He shrugged his shoulders up to his ears. "So I appreciate the help? But … I'd probably take the plane down if I got in one." His down tone came with a slight frown as he was clearly thinking it over.

"We can help you learn to control it," Jean offered. "If you're really that worried, I can help you through the flight. You could sleep through it."

"That might be really smart? Because I accidentally blew up a tourist trap, and I'm sure that even my buddies aren't going to cover for me for this one."

Jean smirked at that and gestured for him to follow her. "Can I ask you something? It's going to sound like it's not related to anything, but it might be." When he nodded, she let out a breath. "Is it possible — and believe me, it sounds a little crazy, but you look just like a friend of mine — do you have an older brother?"

He stopped and his eyes widened. "I did. I mean. Yeah. But I haven't seen him since I was little. He might not … I mean, when I saw him last, he was in a coma. I doubt he lived through that. He was out for months before I got adopted."

Jean bit her lip. "Was his name Scott?" she asked, blatantly ignoring the looks from the others.

The blonde looked as if he could have been pushed over with a feather. "Yeah, it was. I'm … I'm Alex.  _Summers_."

"I'm Jean," she said. "And I don't know if it'll help, but I've met your brother, and it looks like you two have similar powers — and problems controlling it."

Alex let out a little disbelieving laugh at that. "You must have the wrong guy then. Scott … Scott was always in control of everything."

"He said his dad was a pilot," she said. "And his brother was adopted after a plane crash."

Alex was just staring at her for a long moment. "He's the reason either one of us even lived," he said quietly. "And then he hit his head."

Jean reached out and put a hand on his arm. "He'll be thrilled to see you," she said. "And maybe you can both work together on your powers.  _Everyone_ has issues with control at first. It's normal."

"Does he shoot … something from his chest, too?"

"From his eyes," Jean said. "He's learned how to control it to a point, but he can't turn it off." As they talked, they headed for the jet.

"So what? He just … blasts stuff all the time?" Alex asked, then drew in a quick breath. "Was he adopted too? My family said they'd put in a request to be notified if he woke up—"

Jean frowned at that. "No," she said. "No, he wasn't."

Alex frowned deeper at that — looking more like his brother when he was upset. "But that doesn't make sense. I thought I was the only one that lived. This whole time … he's been  _alive_ and no one told me?"

Jean paused for a second before she simply hugged him — she couldn't ignore how upset he was. "I don't know what happened, but I'm going to tell Scott we found you, and you can ask him yourself," she promised.

By then, they'd reached the jet, but Alex paused when they arrived. "So… how are we going to do this?"

"Well, I can put you to sleep," Jean offered. "Or we have a collar that you can use. It'll turn off your powers while you're wearing it."

"Seriously?" Alex asked. "You can just … make it stop? Why can't I just have one to keep?"

Jean couldn't help but laugh. "Then you'd never learn to control it," she said. "All of us had to learn at some point or another — and now we use it to help other people."

"Hey, I just want to surf," Alex said.

"And don't you want to do that without wearing a clunky collar?" Bobby asked as he handed Alex the collar all the same — which was, admittedly, very clunky.

"Well okay, it's not as cool as I was hoping for, but you know... When you're trying to catch a wave and you just obliterate it instead …."

"You'll learn," Storm said. "And you might decide you can have fun with what you have. As I do," she added, creating a microburst over Bobby's head for effect.

Alex smirked but shook his head. "I don't know about that, but I'll give it a shot. I guess."

"Wonderful," Storm said with a smile.

The team was just getting settled into the jet when there was a distinct shift. All of a sudden, it was like everyone there had been hit with a wave of tiredness, and one by one, each of the X-Men — and Alex — dropped unconscious.

* * *

The last thing in the world that Alex had been expecting when he woke up was to be as strapped down as he was. Which was pretty terrifying on its own without the added factor of a pale creep with a diamond in his forehead looking perfectly  _delighted_ as he loomed over Alex.

"Extraordinary," the man was saying as he examined what looked like some kind of medical readout. "Every bit the potential your brother has. Should have kept you both… short-sighted of me…"

Alex frowned and tried to move, though when that didn't work, he looked around and saw that it looked like the others that had been with him were in trouble too. At least… he could see Jean and Storm, but he couldn't see anyone past that — couldn't pick his head up enough. "What the heck is going on?"

The man with the diamond in his head simply smirked at Alex and rested a hand on his shoulder. "There's no need to be so upset, Alex," he said. "I can help you."

"Unless you're letting me go? Like right now? I don't think you're going to help me."

The man shook his head, looking perfectly amused. "I simply needed to gather a few samples, my boy, study your powers. So similar to Scott's and yet different in their manifestation." He smiled. "I can help you to control them, of course. Just as I directed your brother."

Alex narrowed his eyes at that. "What did you do to Scott?"

"I simply directed him, studying his powers as they grew," the man said. "Had I known you had the same potential…"

"I really don't want to be studied," Alex said slowly.

"I'm afraid your permission isn't necessary," the man said, dropping his more amused look.

"Then you're a really crappy doctor."

"Geneticist, my dear boy," he said. "You may call me Mr. Sinister. And you would do well to consider my offer. I have studied your line for some time."

"I still don't understand what your offer is," Alex said. "I mean … Scott can't control his powers. So how is that helpful?"

The man's smile slipped into a sneer. "Unfortunately, your brother was taken from my care before his powers fully manifested."

"I somehow doubt that it would have been any better," Alex said.

"No?" The man smirked before he reached out a hand, and the next thing Alex knew, that weird sort of pressure in his chest seemed to explode all at once, boring a hole in the ceiling above him. "I can offer control, as you see."

Alex's eyes were wide, and he couldn't come up with anything to say other than to freak out a bit. But before the pale creep could say anything further, someone outside his field of vision groaned and started to wake up too, and that for some reason had the man smiling again.

"Excellent. I had hoped to have a proper comparison," he said as he walked toward whoever it was. When Sinister got to Scott and read his thoughts on waking up once more in his custody — thoughts that were, of course, centered on Jean — he chuckled to himself. "And it seems you have taken an interest in your match as well. Even better."

"Get away from me," Scott spit out.

"Scott," Sinister said, tutting a bit as he shook his head, "I told you before; I don't need your permission." He paused and smirked to himself. "Of course, if you behave, I'm sure you can help me with your brother."

"Why would I  _help you_?" Scott shot back.

"You misunderstand, Scott," the man laughed as he rested a hand on Scott's shoulder. "I'm asking you to help me show dear Alex how to control his powers. He has the family gift, it seems."

"What are you talking about?"

Sinister smirked for a moment before he waved a hand, and the next moment, Scott was surprised to find that the straps slid off, and he got to his feet — only to stop when he saw the scene. The creepy doctor had taken not just Jean but also Storm and Wolverine — and in between the girls, that was unmistakably Alex, even if he was around fifteen instead of six like he'd been the last time Scott saw him.

Nine years… Scott stared. The last time he'd seen Alex, he'd been ten and terrified and now…

"Didn't you take that one a few months back?" Logan said suddenly from across the room, his tone even. Scott hadn't even known he was awake. "What? You screw up?"

The doctor frowned as he looked toward Logan. "I don't expect you to understand my studies, Logan."

"I understand enough to know that you either don't know enough yourself or you screw up a lot to have to keep returning for samples. You might wear a different face, but you stink the same."

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Alex asked, clearly freaked out.

"He thinks he's a geneticist," Logan said. "Only he doesn't have the credentials. So … more like a hobbyist at best."

Sinister narrowed his eyes at Logan. "I have been studying mutant genetics since before you were born."

"So you'd  _think_ you'd be able to handle it with one sample by now," Logan said.

"For simple studies, of course," Sinister said, waving his hand impatiently. "This is not that."

"Probably is for someone with credentials to back up the ego," Logan drawled out almost lazily.

Sinister narrowed his eyes before he simply reached out a hand to blast Logan where he lay — which was more than disconcerting for the boys, since it was so similar to their own powers.

"Another one that lashes out when he knows someone else is right," Logan said, though it sounded more strained now.

"You know nothing," Sinister spat out. "Nothing of the years of care I've put into my studies." As he glared at Logan, though, he didn't seem to notice that the other two X-Men were starting to wake up — or that Scott was starting to get back some of the glow to his eyes without Sinister consciously keeping him from accessing his powers.

"I know that you needed to lie to get into positions to cut into me," Logan said. "And you keep coming back, so you must have either screwed up or can't figure it out."

"You have nothing to speak about, no experience to draw from," the doctor said angrily — though that was when the  _kzapt_ cracked the air, and the next second, Sinister was through the wall and Scott was rushing to figure out how to open the straps on Alex with his eyes closed.

"Zap my wrists, I'll cut them out," Logan said.

Scott paused and then nodded, repositioning himself to the sound of Logan's voice before he opened his eyes and narrowed the focus, freeing one hand, which was all Logan needed to start cutting. And as soon as he got Alex loose for Scott, he cut the others free and rushed through the hole that the doctor had disappeared through.

Alex still looked shocked as he stared at Scott. "Scott, what's going on?"

"We need to get out of here," Scott said, though he paused and then pulled Alex into a hug, still with his eyes closed. "I'm really glad to see you again. But we have to get out of here. That guy… he came back from the dead before, and I don't trust him not to do it again," he added, though Alex could just hear snarls from the other side of the wall.

Still, he was too shaken to argue, so he quickly helped Scott free the girls, both of whom were just blinking away unconsciousness as well. "Okay, okay. So. What do we do now?" he asked, glancing down at himself and the rest of the group. "I mean… does your team usually end up in labs in their underwear or…"

"No, not usually," Jean assured him. She frowned for a moment and then let out a breath. "I'm reaching out to the professor to let him know where we are."

"Yeah… can we wait someplace that's  _not_ this… place?" Alex asked.

"Jean, can you reach out to Logan?" Storm asked.

Jean frowned and seemed to concentrate for a moment before she nodded. "He... made sure that doctor will be down for a while, at least." She glanced at Scott. "Do you think he can come back … without, um, a head?"

Scott raised both eyebrows. "I don't know," he admitted. "He came back after Magneto put an entire metal table through him, so…"

"Okay, I want out," Alex said, holding up both hands. "Just drop me off at the nearest beach. I'm done. Nope."

"Except that now that he knows about you, he  _will_ find you again if you make it that easy on him," Jean pointed out.

"He found me all the way on Genosha — and again just now, I was in Magneto's safe house," Scott said, tipping his head toward Jean. "Not exactly easy to get into, either."

"I have so many questions about that," Alex muttered.

"When we get back to the jet, we'll answer anything you need," Jean promised. "Unless we're nowhere near it …"

"One way to find out," Scott said. He had one arm around Alex's shoulders, not just because he was so glad to have his brother there but because he couldn't exactly see to navigate. "Lead the way, Jean."

She let out a breath and took a hold of Scott's other arm as she carefully tried to lead them out, but when they finally got to an exterior door, it was a major shock to all of them when they opened it to find a much much colder landscape — the whole area covered in a thick blanket of white. "Oh … wow. No," she said, then quickly closed the door and turned toward Alex. "We'll need to wait for the professor."

"Yeah, I'm not going out there in my boxers," Alex agreed, shaking his head.

"We should just find somewhere to wait … away from the door," Jean said.

Both Summers boys nodded in agreement. They let Jean lead the way again until they found a place to sit — in the surprisingly expensive-looking home above the lab. And with nothing to do but wait, the brothers found a quiet corner and quickly caught up with each other — and everything that had happened in the last nine years or so.

Which was interesting to Jean, too, who couldn't help but listen in curiously. Alex seemed genuinely upset that no one had told him Scott was alive — and Scott was obviously bothered as he heard about the family that Alex had that had  _wanted_ him there too.

It was obvious Alex was a little weirded out, too, when Scott explained how Magneto had rescued him from the orphanage where he'd been for four years after the crash. Jean could hear in his thoughts that he didn't think much of Magneto, which had her smirking to herself. But the consensus between the boys seemed to be that this doctor, this Mr. Sinister… he was going to get it from the boys for tearing them apart.

The boys hadn't had the time to do more than cover the basics of the last nine years before Logan and Storm came into the room a while later, and it was clear from the snow on Logan's hair that he'd been outside. "Blackbird incoming," he said. "Time to move."

"Oh good," Alex said. "Do they have clothes?" he asked, which had Scott chuckling to himself.

Logan shrugged. "Probably."

"We have extra uniforms — and blankets," Jean said.

"Good. I mean, don't get me wrong; I can rock the swimmer look, but this is not that."

Scott was smirking as Jean took his arm — again keeping him between herself and Alex. "We can make sure you two match," she laughed.

"Oh good. That's going to mean a lot to the one of us who can see," Scott deadpanned, though he was smirking hard.

"Oh, is that all that you're upset about?" Jean said. "I can project to you what's going on — or even let you see through my eyes if you ask nicely."

Scott looked surprised before he smiled and kissed her cheek. "Please?"

She couldn't help but smile lightly before she closed her eyes and took a moment to establish a decent link up. "How's that?"

Scott couldn't help but grin as he took a moment to look through Jean's eyes. It was a totally different feeling than the psychic rapport he'd had with Charles — this was warmer and less… clinical. He grinned even wider when he saw Alex, too. "Okay, just for the record, I'm still taller. That's a relief," he said.

"Only because you're older," Alex said. "I've still got time to be the superior sibling."

"Dream on." Scott grinned even wider as the group of them headed for the jet, hurrying through the cold to get to the blankets and warmth as fast as they could.

"Woah, what happened to you guys?" Bobby asked as they piled inside. "And why are you all naked?"

"Creep," Jean said. "And if you don't stop looking where I know you're looking, you're going to get it."

Bobby held up both hands quickly. "Hey, just tell me if I need to freeze someone's eyes shut or something…"

"Won't do any good; his head's not attached anymore," Logan said as he made his way over to take a seat.

"Um…. what?"

"It happens."

"No? It doesn't? Just … it doesn't just happen?"

"It does when it's a guy with a record of vivisection," Logan said.

Bobby did a full-body shiver. "Augh."

"Yeah, now imagine being  _there_  for it," Alex said, making a face. "The dude totally hijacked my powers. Not. Cool, man."

"He took samples from everyone," Logan said, looking overly irritated as he kept to himself otherwise. "It could have been a lot worse, so just let it go."

Bobby was still making face as those that had been in Sinister's lab quickly pulled on some clothes, though no one was volunteering more than that about what had happened.

 _I was just telling Alex when we found him that I wanted to try to find you,_ Jean projected to Scott on the flight back, and he sat up a bit straighter, not used to telepathic conversations.

_When did you find him?_

_Earlier today,_ Jean said. She bit her lip.  _I got your letter, by the way._

 _Oh good,_ Scott replied with an honest smile.  _Not as good as the real thing, though. I just wish I could see you right now. I can't exactly see you through your own eyes._

 _I was worried about you,_ she said.  _It sounded like you were running ragged._

Scott paused, obviously to pick his words carefully, but he wasn't used to keeping the telepathic conversation confined to only conscious thoughts. And Jean was curious as it was, so she simply peeked at what he was thinking about to see the whole disaster with his glasses as well as the fact that Magneto had immediately jumped into missions with Sentinels.

She narrowed her eyes.  _Scott, you can't just let him_ do  _that._

 _I talked to him. I'm just… trying to help,_ Scott defended.  _And it worked, didn't it? We're back to Sentinels and the labs and camps and that kind of thing. Stopping murders and experiments, not…_ He trailed off.  _I think he just needs someone to rein him in…_

_I think you're very optimistic._

_I try to be,_ Scott said with a shrug.  _I owe him my life, Jean. I can't just give up on him. Not when I know he does listen to me. I've helped him draw up strategies and plans before. I know he listens._

 _Scott,_ Jean said, one eyebrow raised,  _he literally left you blind for days because you disagreed with him._

 _It worked, though,_ Scott said.  _After he cooled off, anyway._ He shook his head.  _I'm not saying I'm not mad at him for pulling what he did. But I'm trying to return the favor and save him if I can._

Jean let out a sigh that had Alex looking her way as she leaned over and simply kissed Scott full on the mouth.  _Optimist._

Scott couldn't stop his grin.  _And you're not? Charles told me your philosophy. I think it's_ very  _optimistic._

 _I am, but that's a more attainable goal,_  she shot back, though it was clear even in her mental voice that she was amused.

Scott smirked.  _Oh yeah. World peace is so much easier than talking down someone who raised you for five years._

_I'll just wait to hear 'I'm sorry, Jean, you were right.'_

_And what if I am right and I'm able to keep Erik from crossing that line again?_

_Then I'll have to kiss you again. Though I'll probably do that anyhow._

Scott chuckled.  _Then the stakes are too small. What about a date?_

"What is this that's happening?" Alex asked, his eyes partly narrowed as he watched the two of them. "What's going on?"

"Psychic flirting," Bobby said. "It's pretty sickening, isn't it?" he added, but that just had Jean tipping him over in his seat telekinetically.

"She was already in my head to help me see," Scott defended. "We're just  _talking_."

"It's weird, man," Alex said, shaking his head.

"You know what Logan says about that?" Bobby said before Logan cut in.

"Shut the hell up, popsicle," Logan growled out.

"Okay, but now I'm torn between wanting to know and wanting to keep my head on," Alex said.

"Doesn't apply here," Logan said quietly.

"I just didn't even know I still had a living brother and now I have to watch him psychic flirt?" Alex pointed out. "And this day has already been weird enough."

"Sorry," Scott said, knocking Alex's shoulder for a second. "I know it's a lot to take in. I'm still just glad you're okay and you got a good family."

"Hey, I'm just glad you're alive," Alex said — which prompted Scott to pull his brother into an honest hug for a good, long time.


	15. I'm Sticking with You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alex isn't about to let Scott out of his sights when he only JUST found out his brother is still alive!

 

When the jet finally arrived in Westchester, Logan headed out fast — clearly ready to tell Charles what he knew about the doctor and then put the whole thing behind him. As for the others, Ororo offered to give Alex a tour of the school, Kurt teleported off to go find some whiskey for Logan, and Bobby and Warren went to hit the game room and unwind after all that.

Which left Scott and Jean the chance to find a place to sit down together. "You don't have a dampening field or a collar, do you?" Scott asked. "Not that I don't appreciate seeing through your eyes, but I'd rather see  _you_."

Jean smiled a bit at that. "You're a flirt, Scott Summers."

"Hey, I don't get to see you that often," Scott pointed out. "And maybe I want to make sure to make the most of that time."

Jean smiled a little wider, her cheeks flushed pink before she leaned over to kiss him, though it lasted a bit longer this time when Scott returned it.

"So, do you feel like maybe finding something to eat?" Jean asked.

Scott nodded, smiling a little wider. "I know I promised burgers if Bobby was cooking, but if you're in the mood for something else, I'm sure we can find something."

"Lets just play it by ear," Jean said. "I have to tell the professor my view of what happened, but I know it'll take a minute for Logan to get done. And he … was awake for almost all of it."

Scott frowned at that. "Right. He heals. That would be…"

"Yeah. He knows what he's talking about when he says it could have been worse."

"I don't think he would have done that to you or Alex or me," Scott said. "Not when he's … 'studying' us."

"No, but there are levels, that's all."

"Believe me; I was trapped in an orphanage with this guy for years. I know." He shook his head. "I don't even remember most of it. Erik thinks the guy erased it. He says that's what telepaths do — not the good ones like you, I mean, but—"

"That's just not entirely true, though," Jean said. "Charles has been working with Logan to retrieve his memories."

"I didn't know he had a memory problem."

"He really doesn't remember much from when the weapons program had him — and we have no idea how old he is or what his real name is. Neither does he."

"Wow." Scott shook his head. "I had no idea."

"It's not like it's something he likes to talk about," Jean pointed out.

"No, it wouldn't be," Scott agreed. He let out a breath. "I'm sorry that doctor — I mean, we both know he's studying me, and I'm just sorry you and Alex are dragged into that too."

"I think we've been in it for longer than you realize," Jean said gently.

"Probably true, since the only thing I remember was when Erik saved me, and the guy said when he had us last time that he'd been shaping my whole life, so…." Scott shook his head. "You know what, never mind. Let's leave him out of this and go out to eat. We can both go talk to the professor together and give him the rundown of what happened — and then let's find a place that has good desserts, too."

Jean smiled at that and stole one more kiss before she took his arm. "I like that idea," she said as they headed up to Charles' office, with Jean still acting as Scott's eyes for the time being.

Logan was headed down the hall — and Kurt was perched on his shoulder like an amazingly overgrown parrot, clutching a bottle of whiskey with his tail, while Logan had one in his hand. "He's all yours, Jeannie," he said gruffly.

Scott's eyebrows were high at the scene, but Jean just smiled at Logan. "Thanks. Do you mind if I borrow your car? I was hoping to go out."

Logan paused and dug into his jeans pocket before he tossed the keys her way. "There's a little cash in the ashtray if you need it, darlin'."

Jean beamed at him. "Thanks!"

"You spoil her," Kurt said — loud enough for both Jean and Scott to hear, but Logan answered him by reaching over and yanking the bottle of whiskey from Kurt's tail.

"This is mine now," Logan said as Kurt started off on a string of German until they were well out of sight .

Jean was grinning to herself as she and Scott got to Charles' office - where the professor was already looking upset, his fingers drumming against the arm of his chair as he thought over everything that Logan had told him about this Dr. Essex — the name Logan had known him by.

"How are you both feeling?" Charles asked, trying — and failing — to fully school his features to his usual warm expression.

"We're fine — are you alright, Professor?" Jean asked.

"Yes, just trying to decipher all of what I've learned so far." He gave her a tight kind of smile and then gestured to the little couch nearby. "What can I do for the two of you today?"

"We just wanted to give you what we knew about what happened," Scott said. "I know Logan was awake for more of it than we were…"

"Yes, but your perception of it is most certainly different than his at any rate," Charles said. "Please, tell me what you can remember."

Jean glanced at Scott for a moment before she simply opened her mind to Charles — and Scott — since it was easier for her, and it would be faster as well.

When they were done — and both had answered the few questions Charles had — he let out a weary breath. "Thank you for telling me," he said. "But … I believe the two of you had plans, and I have some research to do now."

"Do you have a collar I can borrow?" Scott asked. "I've been borrowing Jean's eyes…"

"Of course," Charles said, looking almost shocked at himself for not realizing it sooner. "I'm sorry, Scott, I was simply lost in thought." He gestured toward his desk. "Left bottom drawer."

"Thanks," Scott said, making quick work of getting the collar on and of course grinning at Jean when he had. "Much better."

 _You're a flirt,_ Jean projected to him as she took his hand.

 _I'm about to go on a date with the most beautiful girl I know. Of course I am,_ he pointed out, which just had Jean smiling that much wider at him as they headed out.

The two of them did end up at the burger place in town, if for no other reason than that they'd been planning exactly that for months now. And outside of the influence of the school or anything else related to their day jobs — and with Alex so recently revealed to have powers — the conversation turned to their families. Jean talked about her parents and sister, and Scott told stories about growing up with Alex and his parents.

By the time they got to dessert, they weren't even talking anymore, instead having a completely telepathic conversation, which was much faster. They didn't get to see each other often, and with so much to say, they were in each other's minds just drinking in every story and memory.

The waitress who served them was smirking to herself as she set down the milkshake — with two straws — in front of them. And she even laughed a bit when the two of them didn't even seem to notice her but continued — to her mind — to be completely engrossed in each other's gazes.

Eventually, though, they paid for their food and headed off, still lost in each other's minds and not about to stop anytime soon. Jean's memories of the team, Scott's memories of Genosha… by the time they pulled down the driveway in Westchester, it was clear they couldn't get enough.

They stopped at the door that would lead inside from the garage, both of them grinning madly and holding hands before Scott leaned forward and stole a long kiss that had Jean grinning a moment before she gladly returned it, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he held her around the waist.

By the time they did get inside, it was obvious their heads were in the clouds — though that only lasted until they got upstairs and Jean frowned and tipped her head to the side. "Oh," she said, her tone obviously disappointed. "Erik's here."

Scott frowned for a moment and then squeezed her hand. "I did disappear from his safe house," he said in a sigh. "I should go make sure he gets the right story. I don't want him getting mad at you or anyone here when it was that crazy doctor's fault."

Jean frowned and then leaned over to kiss him again. "I could always just… hide you."

"I just don't want him to get it wrong," Scott said, though he stole one more kiss before he let himself into Charles' office just as Erik was insisting that Charles "stop kidnapping him."

"I'm fine, Erik," Scott said from the doorway. "The X-Men didn't kidnap me: they  _rescued_  me. It was Dr. Pearson again. It's not the professor's fault."

Erik paused, obviously surprised to see Scott there — and to hear his story. "What happened?" he asked at last.

"I don't know," Scott admitted. "I just know I woke up with that doctor over me… and my brother." He gestured toward the door. "Alex is here, Erik. He's been in Hawaii with an amazing family. And the X-Men are helping him after everything that happened. That's where I've been. My  _brother_ is here."

"So this Dr. Pearson kidnapped you both?"

Scott nodded. "He's obsessed with my family, apparently," he said. "I can tell you more about it later. But the professor sent the X-Men to help."

Erik frowned. "Yes, you'll have to tell me more," he agreed before he turned to Charles. "It seems I owe you my thanks, then."

"And had you listened to one word I'd said to begin with, you could have simply relaxed quite some time ago," Charles pointed out. "As always, my old friend, I have not lied to you."

"The last time he was missing, I found him here. It's not unreasonable," Erik defended.

Charles waved a hand and sounded incredibly weary. "Yes. And that's reason enough to assume that I'm kidnapping," Charles said. "As always, I have no desire to fight with you, Erik."

Erik nodded for a moment and let out a breath, though it was Scott who cleared his throat and spoke up.

"You know, with Alex here," he said slowly, "I'd like to visit… maybe you two can finish that chess game."

Erik frowned Scott's way for a moment before he shook his head. "Some other time," he said. "Come now, Scott; it's time to go home."

Scott looked between Erik and Charles for a moment before he swallowed and nodded. "Would you tell Alex I'll see him again later?" he asked Charles.

"Of course," Charles said. "Though I'm sure it would be best if you told him yourself."

"I'll find him on my way out," Scott said and turned to leave. And when he did find Alex, his brother was also collared for the moment but looking far more relaxed with a way to keep his powers off.

"Hey big brother … what's your rush?" Alex said, his smile slipping slightly. "You gonna play some pool later? The room's booked right now … but …"

"Yeah, next time I visit," Scott agreed with a nod. "I've got to head back home, but I'll come see you again as soon as I can, alright?"

"I thought you stayed here," Alex said. He paused and bit his lip. "Or that you might if … I don't know. If I was here too?"

Scott stopped and closed his eyes for a second. "I really want to stay," he admitted.

"Then why don't you?"

Scott bit his lip hard as he watched Alex. "Why don't you come with me?" he asked. "It's just a small safe house, but I can help you with your powers. Probably a little less overwhelming if it's just a small group, right?

"Yeah, but … is it like this?" He gestured to the group. "I mean, it's a great crowd, right?"

"It is," Scott agreed slowly, though by that time, Erik had made his way over to the boys and rested his hand on Scott's shoulder as he came to a stop.

"You must be Alex," Erik said. "I've heard a lot about you, young man."

"Hey," Alex said with a little wave and a bright smile. "That's me."

Erik smiled and extended his hand. "My name is Erik. Scott has been a great ally of mine since he was about your age."

"Yeah? Well … nice to meet you."

Erik nodded. "Scott told me about how you came to be reunited. I'm terribly sorry to hear it. I thought I killed the man when I rescued your brother. He seems to have more lives than a cat."

"You have no idea," Alex said, smirking toward Scott. "The last time I saw Scott, he saved both of us. We were just kids … and there was only one parachute, but Scott... Scott made sure we both got to the ground safely."

Erik's smile warmed a bit at that, and he squeezed Scott's shoulder. "Yes, he has a talent for protecting others," he said. "That's part of what makes him so valuable to me. We've done much good work together protecting mutantkind."

"I told you about him," Scott said to Alex almost quietly. "Remember? I said Magneto got me out of that orphanage."

"Yeah, but it's kind of weird seeing my brother hanging out with the guy on the news."

"The news can be misleading, young man," Erik said. "I'd be more than happy to take you in as well."

Alex shrugged. "I don't really pay attention to it anyhow."

Scott glanced up at Erik and then let out a breath. "There's a room right across from mine," he said slowly. "No one's using it. It's yours if you want to come."

"Ah … maybe a raincheck? It's been kind of … weird. Today."

Erik frowned for a moment and then recovered his smile. "Of course," he said. "I'm sure you have a lot to think about." He squeezed Scott's shoulder once more, this time turning him as he turned to leave as well. "It was nice to meet you, young man," he said, already leading Scott off.

For a moment, Alex frowned. The Scott he had grown up with had respect for authority, yes, but this… this was  _submissive_ in a way that Alex just couldn't reconcile with what he knew about his big brother.

And all of a sudden, he knew he couldn't just let Scott go with this guy. Not without knowing more. No way could he go on living the good life while Scott went off… he couldn't do that again. That was his  _brother_.

"Wait," Alex called out. "I haven't seen my brother in … years. I'm not so sure I'm ready to just watch him walk away already." He turned toward Charles, who was sitting near the doorway. "If I change my mind—"

"The door is always open," Charles said, though he was obviously frowning watching the interaction.

Alex nodded before he rushed to catch up to his brother, draping an arm around his shoulders as he put himself between Scott and Erik and already asking about whether this place had a beachside view.

* * *

Scott had been thrilled to have Alex around once they got back home. He spent most of the night just talking with him, catching up; Alex seemed to be particularly curious about how Scott got caught up in Magneto's orbit and what it was he did.

But when Lorna came to say hello, Scott almost laughed when he saw the look on Alex's face. It was obvious Alex had a crush when he got quiet for a second and then hurried over to introduce himself as "the cooler younger brother."

Lorna smirked at that. "Lorna," she said. "I'm also the cooler younger sister, but when you meet my siblings, you'll see that's not hard," she teased.

"I love your hair," Alex said. "Is it like that naturally? My sister dyed hers once on a dare."

"No dye," Lorna said, breaking into a smile.

"That's even cooler," Alex said.

"And what about you?" Lorna asked.

"Yeah, no, this is all mine too," Alex said, running his hands through his hair. "Beach and sun-kissed, right? You guys should really move your lair closer to the beach. I could show you how to surf."

"Lair?" Lorna repeated with a laugh.

"Um, yeah," Alex said. "You guys really need to talk to your interior designer, because you're screaming 'dungeon' over here."

"I like to think of it more like an ivory tower," Lorna chuckled. "Daddy can be a little overprotective."

"And your dad is…" Alex glanced toward Scott, and when Scott just smirked and nodded, obviously entertained, Alex's eyebrows shot up. "Wow. You look nothing like him."

Lorna chuckled but reached out with her powers to make a few metal objects float and set them back down. "No, but I have his powers."

"You know, it's cooler when you do it?" Alex said with a grin.

"I did say I was the cooler younger sister," Lorna said with an obvious smile.

Scott smirked to himself. He hadn't seen Lorna grin this much in a while, and Alex was obviously enjoying himself… "I'm sure I've got something I need to do for Erik," he said to excuse himself, smirking all the way down the hallway. This was going better than he'd expected, and he wasn't about to third wheel with his own brother and his ex.

Of course, Erik was busy at the moment with the Brotherhood, so Scott instead took a moment to write a letter to Jean to tell her about Alex's obvious crush on Lorna … and to suggest a few places that he and Jean could go on their next date.

And really, things only got more interesting while Erik was out with the Brotherhood. Scott slipped out to mail off his letter, and when he came back, he wasn't surprised, somehow, to find that Lorna and Alex were involved in a long kiss.

He cleared his throat when he walked in, and Alex grinned at him. "Hey, why didn't you tell me about Lorna when you were trying to get me to come here? You should lead with important things like this, Scott!"

Scott almost had to laugh at that. "I didn't know you were going to fall for my best friend the second you showed up!"

"You have great taste in best friends, Scott," Alex said with his arm around Lorna's shoulders. She was laughing at him as she leaned back with him, too, and Scott had to grin when he saw it. He hadn't realized how long it had been since he had seen Lorna smile.

"We should have gone to find your brother years ago," Lorna teased Scott.

"Clearly," he said, shaking his head at them both.

Alex grinned and then got up to drape his arm around Scott's shoulders. "Come on, Scott. Apparently, Lorna hasn't ever been surfing. You guys lived on an  _island_ and you  _wasted_ all of your opportunities!"

"We… were kind of busy…"

"Wasted it!" Alex insisted. "I'm totally taking you both surfing this weekend. I don't know if I can even speak to you both. An island!"

"It wasn't a vacation island, Alex."

"Scott," Alex said, shaking his head, "relax. I'm here to fix this. Consider it nine years of childhood that we missed out on spending together."

Scott couldn't help but smile. "Okay, yeah," he agreed. "Sounds fun."

"Great. Get your swim trunks, Scott!"


	16. Get Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which it takes Magneto absolutely no time at all to decide that he hates Alex. A lot.

 

* * *

The day at the beach ended up being exactly what the three of them needed. Alex was a natural in the waves, and he wasn't a bad teacher, either. Of course, Scott could see that Alex was much more interested in showing Lorna the ropes than anything else, so he stayed back a bit, smirking to himself as Alex got a little more hands on in teaching Lorna than he did with Scott.

But it was honestly a blast — even if the waves wore them out after a while. It was harder than Alex made it look… until Lorna decided to cheat and simply got a bit of metal and lined the bottom of her surfboard so she could keep up with Alex.

Which was too rich for Scott's blood, so he went back to shore.

By the time Lorna and Alex got back to the sand, they were both sun-kissed and grinning, with her arm around his back and his around her shoulders as they carried their boards back.

"Make a sandcastle while we were gone?" Alex teased.

"Oh, I didn't know you wanted me to make you two a getaway," Scott shot back without missing a beat.

Alex broke into a laugh. "Next time," he said. "I definitely want to see what you'd come up with."

Scott grinned. "I'll invite Jean, and we'll make it a double date."

"Oh, of course," Alex said. "You two will do that stupid psychic flirt, and I'll lose my brother all over again to  _stupid staring contests_."

Lorna laughed at that. "Is that really what happens?"

"Oh yeah," Alex said. "It's ridiculous. Even the X-Men think so."

Lorna grinned. "I'm excited to meet this mysterious girl."

"She's pretty cute, I guess," Alex said with a shrug. "I mean, Scott seems to like her. How he can be interested when you're around is just… a disappointment to his taste, but hey, better for me, right?"

Lorna chuckled to herself. "I don't know how to tell you this, Alex, but Scott and I did date for a while."

"Oh, wait, really?" Alex looked surprised as he looked between the two of them. "Dude, you dropped the ball! How'd you lose someone this gorgeous?"

"Clearly, it worked out for the best anyway," Scott pointed out, gesturing between them.

Lorna smiled at that. "And if you and Jean are really that ridiculous, you should really invite her the next time we go out."

"Definitely," Scott agreed with a grin as the three of them packed up their beach things.

The three of them were in high spirits by the time they got back home, laughing and joking around — but they had apparently been out later than Erik and his Brotherhood, and Erik did  _not_ look happy to have come home to find all three of them gone.

They couldn't have missed him by much, since Erik hadn't started looking outside of the safe house, but he was already floating several inches off the ground.

"Hi, Daddy," Lorna said with a smile, obviously trying to diffuse the situation — though the swimsuits, suntans, and the fact that Alex hadn't removed his arm from around her shoulders even with the floating supervillain in the room were definitely not playing to their advantage.

"What  _exactly_ have you been doing?" He was addressing Lorna, but glaring at Alex — clearly.

"Just a day at the beach, man," Alex said. "Surfing, sand, sun — summer's almost over, you know."

Erik didn't look the least bit pleased. He tipped his chin up, and a thin piece of metal slipped between Lorna and Alex and pried them apart — shoving Alex several feet back. "A bit of personal space is a sign of respect, young man."

"And I always figured it was a sign of friendship when you let people in that bubble," Alex said, totally missing the look Scott was giving him. He was too mad at being shoved around to notice that his older brother wanted him to back down.

Erik looked even more annoyed as he glared at Alex. "And a gentleman would know to let a young lady breathe."

"Daddy, it's fine," Lorna said. "We were just having fun."

"Of that I am sure," Erik said, still giving Alex a hard look.

"Hey," Alex said, tipping his chin up, "I don't get it. You let my brother date your daughter but I can't even be friendly?"

"Your brother earned my respect long before he even considered it," Erik said.

"Yeah, I've seen the way you  _respect_ him," Alex shot back angrily.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Erik said, hovering a bit higher.

"Alex," Scott said in warning, but Alex was on a roll by that point.

"The Scott I grew up with didn't let anyone push him around on anything," Alex said. "I looked up to him for that, I really did. So what's the deal? What'd you do to my big brother? Because he's  _never_ let someone push him around like you do."

"Alex, no," Scott said, shaking his head. "You don't have the whole story—"

But that just had Alex spinning to face him. "What, so I'm just imagining that you'd rather be where the fun kids are and make eyes at Jean all day rather than stay in this dungeon? I'm not  _six_ anymore, Scott. I'm not an idiot. You can't even go to the beach and not get in trouble here!"

"Enough," Erik snapped — and the next thing Alex knew, he'd been wrapped around the legs in metal as Erik literally tossed him out. Though that just had Scott furious as well, lifting his glasses to fire off a shot at Erik. Not a fatal one or even a very damaging one, but enough to break his hold on his concentration as Alex picked himself up outside the door a second before Erik turned a look of fury toward Scott.

"That's my little brother," Scott said with his chin tipped up as he glared at Erik. "Don't ever touch him again."

Erik barely looked his way for more than a few moments before he flicked his wrist, and that same piece of metal that had pushed Alex back wrapped itself halfway around Scott's head, holding the glasses to his face and knocking Scott back several steps. "This isn't up for discussion," Erik said. "You will be sticking close to base," he told Scott and then turned to Alex. "And you … are no longer welcome."

"You can't do that," Alex said angrily. "Leave him alone."

"Alex, just go," Lorna broke in, her eyes wide at how quickly this was falling apart.

Alex glared between them, obviously furious. "I can't just …"

"Go," she said, and then pushed the door closed for good measure before she turned back to Erik. "Really, Daddy, nothing happened. We were just surfing."

"We're leaving. Now."

"You can't just leave him," Scott said, though any persuasive standing he could have had was severely hampered by the fact that he was blind and unable to do much to fight back. "He doesn't have any money or a ride or — at least call the X-Men to come get him or something."

"The X-Men," Erik scoffed. "It's clear to me now where your loyalties lie. No, I don't think I will call them. I've had just about enough of your little games with that group of children. It's time you grow up, Scott — there's real work to be done."

"And what if I say no?" Scott shot back, clearly angry at this point. "What if I don't want to work with someone who leaves my brother on the street?"

At that, though, Erik simply picked Scott up with his powers. "I have invested too much in you to lose all that good work," Erik said, fury dripping in every word. "You will do as you are told, or you will face the consequences."

"Like what, losing my brother again?"

"One of the consequences, yes," Erik snapped back. "I would be careful, Scott, not to cross me when your brother is still so close."

Scott froze for an instant at the implied threat. "Leave him alone," he said.

"I'd like nothing more," Erik said as he simply started to levitate out of the room with Scott, already moving to leave the safe house behind. "But if you continue to try my patience—"

"Don't," Scott broke in. "Just please, leave him alone."

"I'll need some reassurance from you."

Scott held his breath for a moment before he let it out. "Alright," he said at last. "I swear — I'll go along with you if you leave him be."

"Very well," Erik said with a nod, though for the moment, Scott didn't feel his feet hit the ground either; it was clear the move was happening without his input, and Erik was still angry enough to keep it that way.

* * *

It had taken Alex a little while to find the school's phone number in a public phone book and to scrounge up some change to call them up from a phone booth as well, but seeing as he didn't know anyone else in the area, that was pretty much his only option.

He was still absolutely furious with how things had gone down with Magneto. He'd even been having fun with his brother  _and_ a gorgeous girl before that guy stepped in and made everything worse, and Alex did  _not_ like the idea of leaving Scott behind  _again_.

Alex wasn't surprised that Jean was one of the X-Men that came to get him, and he was almost pacing before the car came to a stop and he climbed in, his fists clenched — looking a lot like his brother at the moment.

"We have to go after him," was the first thing he said once he was in the car.

"What happened?" Jean asked,

"What happened is that psycho supervillain tossed me out for being  _nice_ to his daughter, and Scott got jerked around for standing up for me, that's what," Alex said, his tone rising. "We gotta go get him out of there. Like, right now."

Jean narrowed her eyes at that. "Show me where you were," she said, though she was already scanning Alex's mind to see how he got to where he'd called them from where he'd been kicked out.

Of course, the problem was that Magneto and his crew were already gone by the time they got to the old safe house, and Alex was swearing up a blue streak as he looked through the now-empty halls.

"Okay, okay," he said, obviously upset. "There's… you guys found me all the way in Hawaii. You can find my brother, right?"

"We  _will_ find him," Jean promised, looking around the halls with a similar angry blush to her features before she let out a frustrated breath and gestured for Alex to follow her. "The professor can look for him on Cerebro. It's a machine that amplifies his telepathic powers. Let's get you back home; maybe he'll have something for us when we get back."

Alex crossed his arms and grumbled to himself but let Jean drive him back to Westchester. They even stopped to get something to eat when Alex's stomach started to protest and Jean realized that it had been, in fact, several hours since he'd been kicked out, so he hadn't had dinner yet.

But if Alex had expected to get there and turn right back around with some coordinates to where he could get his brother back, he was disappointed to find that all Charles had for them was that "they're still moving."

"No, you don't understand," Alex said, getting more frustrated the more he felt helpless in the situation. "We have to go get him. He's in trouble, and it's my fault — and I can't just leave him again."

Charles and Jean shared a look for a moment before Charles gestured for Alex to come with him. "Tell me what happened, Alex."

Alex let out a frustrated sort of noise before he did, in fact, relay everything that had happened, all at once — from the beach trip to the fact that he was pretty sure Scott didn't know how to say 'no' to Magneto to the way the fight had ultimately gone down.

By the end of it, Alex was clearly worked up, and he shook his head as he spit out, "I just don't get it. Why's he even  _with_ this loser?"

"Because that loser was the one that managed to get him out of an actual hellhole," Jean said in an even but clearly frustrated tone.

"Okay, but it doesn't seem like it's an improvement!" Alex said, throwing his hands up in frustration.

"The doctor that captured us when we met was the one that had him before Magneto found him. So it's just a little bit better."

Alex narrowed his eyes. "That really doesn't make me feel any better. I haven't seen him for nine years and he was with psychos the whole time?" He shook his head. "We gotta get him out. This is  _stupid."_

"I agree, but we need him to agree too," Jean said. "Magneto already wants to more or less start a war with us as it is."

"Yeah but…" Alex shook his head as he looked between Charles and Jean. "How the heck are you gonna do that? I don't even know why he's staying when it's so… gah!"

"It has to be your brother's decision to leave," Charles said. "Or he will only go back."

" _Why?"_ Alex looked like Charles had grown a second head.

"Because we can't force him," Charles replied gently. "As much as I would like to, we can't."

Alex shook his head. "No, you don't get it. I know Scott and… there is  _no_ reason he… it's just  _stupid_ that he's even there — and we need to get him  _out._ It's obvious he doesn't want to leave when he's here!"

"Alex, if I could get time with him, I'm sure I could convince him, but right now, I can't even speak with him without Erik getting in the middle."

"Because Magneto knows he'd lose!" Alex said, obviously frustrated. "Something is rotten over there, and it shouldn't matter what else is happening. That's my brother, and he's getting jerked around — and we have to step in. I thought you guys were heroes!"

Charles gave Alex a tight smile. "Part of that is allowing people to make their own choices, even if they're the wrong ones."

"I don't even know why he's making those stupid choices," Alex grumbled. "It doesn't make sense."

"He's making them because he's grateful to Magneto for getting him out of that orphanage," Jean said.

" _I_ would have gotten him out too!" Alex said, looking honestly upset. "My family asked! We should have — doesn't that count for anything?"

Jean took a step forward and simply wrapped Alex up in a hug. "We'll find him, and we'll get him out of there."

Alex relaxed slightly and returned the hug. "I just finally got him back — and that jerk took him away again," he muttered.

"I know. And I'm sorry. But we'll figure it out."

* * *

It was a long time before Jean or Alex had any word about what was going on. A  _long_ time. But Jean at least was a little surprised when they did get word — because she didn't recognize the handwriting or the address on the letter.

_Jean,_

_We've never met in person, but I've heard a lot about you. I know that you were at Genosha with the other X-Men helping with the rescue effort there, and I'm sorry that I missed you._

_My name is Lorna, and I'm writing to you because I know Scott hasn't had the chance to set up a new mailbox where we are. Or to write you a letter. And I wanted to let you know what's going on, because Scott is a dear friend of mine, and you make him happy. I don't want my father's actions to mess that up._

_My father can be overbearingly overprotective sometimes, and I'm sorry that Scott and Alex were caught up in that. I don't know if you were able to find Alex or if he's still staying with you, but if he's there, I've enclosed a letter that I would be grateful to you for delivering to him. He's really amazing, and I'm glad that I got to meet him, even if the fallout was awful._

_We've moved since then, so I didn't think the mailbox that Scott set up before would work. My father isn't really letting him go anywhere right now, so I took matters into my own hands and set one up in the nearest city. That way, at the very least, you can write to him too._

_I also wanted to ask you to please keep an eye on Alex. I don't want him to feel bad, so I didn't tell him in the letter I wrote him, but my father isn't exactly pleased with him as it is. I know Scott convinced him not to do anything drastic, but I wouldn't be surprised if he still tossed Alex around if he sees him again. He's still not very happy about it_ —  _not just because Alex and I got along but because he thinks Alex turned Scott against him too. But I don't want Alex to feel like he got Scott in deeper trouble, so don't tell him Scott swore his loyalty to keep him safe or he'll get upset._

_I think the whole thing is a gross overreaction, so I hope you don't mind me taking it on myself to play the middle man (or woman as the case is here). I'll let you know if we move again, and I'll set up a new mailbox if we do. But I think it would be absolutely ridiculous if you two couldn't at least write to each other. And I may be selfish in wanting to hear from Alex too. This way, I can get letters to you and Alex and Scott._

_I'm not sure what else to say, since I don't know you very well except for what Scott has told me. But from what I've heard, you'll help me write to Alex, and I'll help you write to Scott._

_Yours Truly,_

_Lorna_

Jean stared at the letter for a long moment before she finally let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. On the one hand, she was grateful to Lorna for reaching out when Jean had been so frustrating wanting to know what was going on. And she thought it would cheer Alex up a bit to get a letter from her, so that was sweet.

And on the other hand, this seemed to both complicate and simplify matters. Erik was looking for an excuse to go to war with the X-Men, so just taking Scott wasn't an option… but if Lorna was right and there were threats involved… Jean was  _sure_  that was different.

She took a moment to give Alex Lorna's letter — which, as expected, had him lighting up like a Christmas tree when he heard who it was from — before she mentally called out to Charles and went up to his office.

She didn't even say anything; she just wordlessly handed him the letter she'd gotten and waited until he had finished reading it before she gestured at it with one hand. "Are we really going to let this happen?" she asked.

Charles took the time to read through the letter carefully, frowning deeper and deeper the further he got until he was very gently shaking his head. "He can't expect any loyalty if he's using these tactics."

"Clearly, he does," Jean said. "And it's working — at least with Scott." She let out a frustrated noise. "That's just  _dirty_."

"It is," Charles agreed. "And one tactic that I was sure he of all people wouldn't even consider using. At least … taking his past into account …"

Jean shook her head. "After everything he's said and done… he's only been getting worse since Genosha."

Charles couldn't argue it. "We'll have to make a plan of action."

"Good," Jean said, not bothering to hide her anger in the least. "Because right now, all I want to do is get that stupid helmet off and let him have it."

"Easier said than done, I'm afraid," Charles said. "But a very direct attack nonetheless."

Jean nodded and then let out her breath. "I'll write her back and … I don't know. Maybe she and Scott can help us too. Neither of them seems pleased where they are."

"No, and for Lorna to be that distressed ... she'll likely be our very best indicator of how it's truly going."

Jean nodded and then paused. "What did you mean before, about Erik's past?" she asked.

"He spent several years of his youth in concentration camps," Charles said. "Threats were commonplace to force prisoners to comply with orders. I didn't think he'd do that."

Jean pressed her mouth into a thin line. "I really am worried," she admitted. "For both Scott and Lorna now."

"As well you should be," Charles replied.


	17. Inside Information

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Erik's attempt to show Scott how awful the world is sort of backfires and turns Scott into a double agent for the X-Men when it comes to information.

 

* * *

 

Up until now, Scott had largely been able to avoid teaming up with Erik's Brotherhood — mostly because he'd told Erik he didn't want to work with them, and that had been enough before. But now, he found himself sitting next to Pyro and doing his level best not to knock him down before the mission even started.

Which was difficult when the guy wouldn't shut up — and he seemed to only be spurred on by the fact that Scott was ignoring him as best he could.

"Too good to talk to us, huh, Golden Boy," Pyro sneered.

Which really, in Scott's mind, just cemented it — and he simply refused to talk to Pyro at all on principle. It annoyed Pyro more than anything else because he couldn't get a rise out of him, though the few people that had worked with Scott often enough to know the brighter glow behind the visor was an indicator could tell Pyro was going to get it if he didn't shut up.

Thankfully for everyone involved, then, it didn't take much longer to reach the destination — a weapons program run by the same Department H that had been responsible for Wolverine's adamantium.

"Free any mutants you find; destroy everything and everyone else," Erik directed the group at large, though he made it a point to put a hand on Scott's shoulder — still keeping him close for the time being. "Do you understand what they've been doing here, Scott? The measures that these inferior creatures have gone to in order to make our very existence hard — if not impossible?"

"I know," Scott said with a deep set frown. "I've seen places like this before."

"Not quite like this," Erik said. "You've seen several places that used mutants … but this place, their entire focus was to enslave them and create perfect weapons." Erik paused and turned slightly Scott's way. "Create, Scott. Not find and manipulate."

Scott frowned at that, looking beyond Erik toward the labs they were approaching. "I thought they hated mutants. Why …" he said, almost to himself.

"Because when you find one that is already easily  _trained_ to do everything you wish, you will go out of your way to make more. Like any other disposable weapon." The two of them stepped up to a heavy door with extensive security — which of course, Erik simply tore from the hinges and crumpled. "The question, of course, is: how successful have they been?"

Scott was almost silent as he looked around the room at the tubes of green liquid and the various equipment. Some of them had some sort of tissue masses, and there was one that looked sort of like Wolverine, almost, but half-formed. It sent chills down his spine and had him honestly frozen for a long moment.

"Now imagine an army like this ... " Erik said quietly.

"They can't do that," Scott breathed out.

"But they already are, as you can see," Erik said before he started simply crushing whatever metal he could in the room.

Scott blinked for a moment before he followed Erik's lead, leaving absolutely nothing useable in the room by the time they were finished — not that he was going to get the image of half-formed clones out of his head anytime soon. They could hear the Brotherhood wreaking havoc further down the facility, but the two of them focused on the equipment until it was unusable — and destroyed any record the facility had of the process.

Before it was done, Erik had ordered Pyro to incinerate everything for good measure before he turned to Scott. "Do you still think coexistence is even a consideration with facilities like this that are funded by two world powers working in tandem?"

Scott shook his head slowly. "I think… there are still innocents."

"And perhaps they can remain that way if they stay out of our way."

"They should be," Scott pointed out. "If they aren't in places like this, they should be out of our way. At least we agree on that much."

But Erik was already shaking his head. "It's not  _just_ those that run these places, Scott. It's the way that they treat mutants on the street — kicking children from their homes, banning them from schools, driving them into hiding and chasing them down with makeshift weapons as if it was some cheap horror movie."

"And how are you going to tell the innocents from the rest of the population, then?" Scott asked. "Where's the line? I want to help mutants too, but I don't want to kill innocent people to do it."

"If they're harassing mutants in any way — there is the line."

Scott simply let out a breath and nodded. "You've made your point."

Erik raised an eyebrow "I'm not sure that I have, but we have better places to be than this house of horrors."

"Yeah, I agree," Scott said quickly. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

With how often the Brotherhood and Erik's continuing war was in the news, Jean hadn't been expecting to get a letter from Scott for a while, knowing he was out there with them.

So when she saw that the letter she  _did_ get was relatively short, that somehow wasn't a surprise. Though the contents were.

_Jean,_

_I'll write more when I get home. But you should know that Department H was cloning Wolverine. We destroyed the facility, but they had several partially-formed ones. If it was me, I'd want to know something like that._

_Sent this to Lorna with Pietro, so hopefully you'll get it fast._

_-Scott_

Jean hadn't hesitated when she read the short letter to reach out to find Logan. After all, Scott was right — he needed to know. When she found him, Logan was in the hangar, finishing up a few repairs on the blackbird — nothing terribly bad, but there were some bulletholes in the fuselage that needed covering up, and he was carefully making sure it was done right and enjoying the relative quiet of the empty hangar while he could.

"Somethin' on your mind, Jeannie?" Logan asked before he turned around.

"Yes," she said before she simply handed him the letter. "And it's something you should know."

Logan frowned and looked between her and the paper for a moment before he leaned against the plane and started to read the little note. The frown deepened, and he flipped it over to look at the back before he looked up to meet her gaze. "How reliable is this?"

"I don't think he would lie about something like that," Jean said. "And Magneto doesn't know he's been writing me. If he wanted to get information to us, this would be the smartest way."

Logan thought about it for a long moment, frowning at the page as he noticed the slant and messiness of the writing. This wasn't a thought out note. It was impulsive. Which suggested Jean was right — this wasn't a lie.

He didn't have any real response for Jean other than to very gently hand her the note back. "I'll take care of it." His tone was very even and measured, which was just one more nod for Jean to see that he was already picking his route and strategy.

"If you need any help…"

"Nope," Logan said, shaking his head as he turned to go back to sealing up the last few holes. "Not your problem."

"Maybe not, but you know I'll still help if you need it."

"I don't need any help for this," Logan said. "It's not anything you need to know about, either."

Jean frowned at that but nodded and leaned over to kiss the side of his head. "Okay. Be safe."

"Relax, Jeannie," he said in a quiet rumble. "What'm I gonna do all on my own anyhow?"

Jean couldn't help but laugh at that. "Oh yeah, I forgot that you're so helpless all by yourself," she had to tease.

"That's me," he agreed.

Jean shook her head at him before she gave his arm another squeeze and then headed upstairs.

* * *

Scott was pretty well exhausted when the Brotherhood finally got back to the safe house — though he was glad to see Lorna.

She looked like she was bursting to talk to him, too, so as soon as he had headed to his room, she grabbed his arm to pull him aside away from the door. "I've been slipping out to watch the news and write Alex," she whispered, "and you wouldn't  _believe_ what's going on out there!"

"Oh man. Now what?" Scott asked.

"There's all these high-up generals and military brass… they're just… disappearing or dropping dead!"

Scott raised his eyebrows at that. "We haven't been running assassination runs or anything."

"I know — but a lot of them are just suicides, too," Lorna said, wide-eyed. "I don't understand it!"

"That… doesn't make sense," Scott said, his eyes wide behind his visor.

"I can't find an explanation anywhere," she said. "And the ones that weren't suicides … they have no leads on what happened. For any of them."

"Maybe Jean or Alex knows something," Scott said. "Have you asked them about it?"

"That's really not an X-Men kind of thing to do, Scott. They don't kill."

"No, but they might know who did," he said.

"Well, maybe … I just don't … I can write and ask, but it might be a while before we hear back." She smirked crookedly. "It'd be so much faster to just … go talk to them."

Scott raised an eyebrow at her but couldn't help but smirk as well. "You've been coming up with a plan, haven't you?"

"Me?" Lorna had both hands resting on her chest and was doing her best to look perfectly shocked, though she was grinning widely.

"Uh-huh." Scott grinned. "Go ahead. I'm game for whatever it is if it gets us out of here for a little while. Erik's still out dealing with some government types…"

"We're not  _too_ far from Westchester, and Daddy won't be back until morning …"

"Just let me change into my glasses. I don't want to show up in full regalia in Westchester," Scott said, holding up both hands.

"Yeah, that really is a bad look on you, you know. I could probably reshape it a little … make it less … um. Creepy."

Scott smirked. "I'll just wear the glasses this time. Let's not make your dad any madder than he already is. I think he's attached to that helmet look."

"It really looks silly on him, too," she said. "He's got a lovely head of hair, and he hides it."

"He doesn't want anyone in his head," Scott said. "That's part of why he was so mad the first time I was in Westchester. Charles was in my head for a while."

"That's ridiculous," she said. "Even I know that Professor Xavier wouldn't do anything to harm him."

Scott gestured widely. "I don't know what to tell you, Lorna. I mean, to be fair, Charles isn't the only telepath out there. The doctor that kidnapped me and Jean was one too, and I  _know_ he messed with something in my head."

"I know, I do, but this was his best friend for years It seems a little paranoid."

"Lorna…" Scott let out a breath. "He  _is_  paranoid."

"Well, now that it's established, are you ready to go? Or do you need some time at the mirror first?"

Scott rolled his eyes. "Just wait and let me change, would you?" he said, already moving to get his glasses. "I know you're  _dying_ to see Alex…" he added, which just got Lorna to chuck something at his back, earning a dry chuckle. "You are."

"Yet I still stopped to see if you wanted to go with me," Lorna said. "Maybe I should go alone …"

"Yeah, yeah," Scott said, shaking his head as he quickly pulled on a tee shirt as well. "Thank you, Lorna, for being so patient," he teased.

"And so sympathetic …"

"Yeah, love you too," he said, shaking his head before he finally gestured for her to lead the way.

She grinned before she pulled together more of a cupped disc than what her father preferred to use. "Unlike some? I don't like the idea of possibly falling."

Scott grinned and sat down. "Considering how tired I am right now? I appreciate it a lot."

It didn't take long for the two of them to fly to Westchester, touching down on the grounds of the front lawn — so that the X-Men could see them coming and know it was Lorna and Scott and not Magneto. It helped that they also rang the doorbell to announce their presence.

It was even better when Storm opened the door and broke into a wide grin. "Jean, Alex," she called back toward the kitchen, "there's someone here for you." She motioned the two of them inside, still smiling, as Jean and Alex both rounded the corner and then broke into surprised grins.

"Thought this was better than a letter," Scott said with a crooked smirk.

"Um, yes," Jean said before she rushed over to wrap him in a hug, and Alex had to laugh as he ran over to take Lorna by the hand and pull her away from Jean and Scott's reunion to give her a hug as well.

"Those two aren't going to come untied for a while," he teased in a whisper. "How'd you even get here? I thought you were in the ivory tower!"

"We were," Lorna said. "But I decided we needed a night out."

"Erik shouldn't be back until morning," Scott put in, now holding Jean around the waist with a huge grin. "We've got time.

"Mr. Summers … we've only been on one half of a date," Jean teased.

"Well, we should have a whole date, then," he shot right back. "What do you say, Ms. Grey?"

Jean grinned at that and took his hand. "Let's go," she agreed, already opening the door telekinetically.

It didn't take long before all four of them had gone out. It was late enough that not many places were open, but they did get some ice cream from the kitchen anyway before they went out to the lake just to hang out and talk.

"I wanted to ask you," Scott said as he was sitting with Jean on the beach. "Lorna said there have been some military deaths in the news. I was wondering if you knew anything? I know X-Men don't kill, but it's kind of weird. I thought you might be looking into it?"

Jean let out a slow breath. "The  _X-Men_ don't kill. But, that doesn't mean that certain people don't make exceptions when they're not with the team," she said quietly. "I don't approve — neither does Charles, really, but … yes. I've seen the news, too. As for specifics, I really have no idea what happened. But I can tell you he didn't kill all of them."

Scott thought about it for a second. "Wolverine," he said with a nod. "So you got that message."

"I did. And I showed him. He didn't get angry. Not outwardly, anyhow. And he was careful not to let anyone know if he had anything to do with any of it. He didn't use the jets ... and he wasn't gone for days at a time … I really don't know how he did any of it."

"I can tell you they weren't people Erik knew about," Scott said. "He … showed me the cloning facilities."

"And I can tell you that Wolverine spent enough time in those places to know who to hit and how hard to hit them to make it count. Across the board."

Scott nodded. "Okay. I was just curious," he said, leaning back slightly as he thought it over. "I can't say I'd do any different…. What they were doing…" He shook his head. "It's not enough to enslave mutants. They want to make more slaves while killing the rest. It's insane."

"They did a lot to him," Jean said. "But generally he doesn't go looking for trouble with them." She paused and then reached over to squeeze his arm. "I'm sorry you saw that; it had to be awful. I just hope they didn't have any complete successes."

"Not that I saw," Scott said.

"Logan would have found out if they did," she decided. "But I'm not going to go poking around to find out."

"I'm hoping we caught it early enough not to worry," Scott admitted quietly. He shifted so he was lying back on the beach as he let out a breath. "That's the kind of thing Erik has me tackling lately," he admitted. "He does that sometimes. Trying to remind me that humanity is horrible to mutants."

"Well I'm pretty sure that Logan has taken care of Weapon X anyhow." She gave him a little smirk. "So … don't get too close to that one."

"I'd like to promise I won't, but it's not like I know what the mission's going to be from one day to the next," he pointed out.

"I thought you were part of his planning process?" Jean said with a frown.

"I used to be," he said. "I mean, I still am, to an extent. But it's more… he'll put down blueprints in front of me and I'll help to strategize before we go in."

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm sorry that it's gotten so bad. You can come here, you know. We'd protect you."

"He'd love the excuse," Scott said quietly.

"Excuse for what?" Jean asked. "We can handle him if we need to."

Scott shook his head. "I don't know if I can risk it," he said. "Especially not right now. It would just put an even bigger target on Alex."

"Scott, we can protect him, too," she said gently.

Scott tipped his head her way before he pulled her down a bit so she was at his level. "If it was your sister, would you risk it?"

"If it was my sister, I would trust Charles to protect her," she said. "Yes. Absolutely. It's better than watching her be miserable." She leaned forward to rest her forehead on his for a moment. "And I wouldn't make that decision for her without asking what she would want me to do for her benefit."

Scott leaned in a bit and closed his eyes. "I guess I just don't have as much confidence in Charles as you do."

"Your faith has to outweigh your fear," she said with a smile.

Scott smiled at that and then leaned in to steal a kiss. "And you call me an optimist."

"We all have our moments, right?"

Scott smirked at that and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so," he said before he kissed her again. "I'll think about it. I promise."

"Do you think it has anything to do with being rescued by a girl?" Jean laughed.

Scott couldn't help but laugh. "Hey, I wouldn't complain if an angel like you swooped in."

"I'll practice my swoop."

Scott smirked at that as he traced her jaw with his hand. "Okay," he said, then leaned in to kiss her again.

* * *

The next morning, both Scott and Lorna were obviously still tired after they'd spent the night out, though when Pietro said something about Scott falling asleep on his own bagel, Lorna shook her head.

"My fault," she said. "I was bored while you were gone — and Scott and I were up late talking."

"Lost track of time," Scott agreed with a tired nod, which got a smirk out of Wanda — since the twins by that point were in on the letter delivery and knew what was going on.

"Typical," Pietro said. "Couple of gossips."

"Oh, like you and Wanda are any better," Lorna said, waving a hand at him.

Scott smirked at that before he got up to excuse himself, bagel in hand. "If it's alright," he said Erik's way, "I'm just going to catch a little more sleep before we head out again — or I'll be asleep on my feet." When Erik simply tipped his head, Scott headed upstairs — where he did, in fact, crash for a while.


	18. I Was Worried

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Scott doesn't hear from Jean for a while and he is WORRIED

 

* * *

 

_Jean,_

_Things are busy again_ —  _but I don't think that will surprise you. It seems like every time we find some new horrible thing, it just fuels Erik to the next fight. I never thought I'd say it, but I'm glad for the Brotherhood_ —  _they wear down fast, and at least that slows him down too._

_I've been thinking a lot about what we talked about. I won't lie and say there aren't days that I just want to go to that school and stay there, but there are also days that I see Erik crush entire buildings and know it would just take one moment of letting our guard down for him to do the same to not only us but the entire school and the X-Men and everyone there… I don't know if I'm willing to risk that._

_On a more fun note, we were up north recently in some snow, and I was thinking that next time I see you, it might be cold enough for snow and cocoa. We don't get many actual dates, do we? We'll have to figure it out._

_Lorna's already talking about the next time we can sneak out again. It's harder for her when she's left behind, especially since Erik's security systems are usually on higher alert when we're not there. I think he's paranoid that Alex might come to see her. I guess it hasn't occurred to him that she'd leave the ivory tower._

_Anyway, I've been thinking about you a lot. I'm glad I haven't been on the team when ours has clashed with the X-Men lately, but on the other hand, I'd love to see you again._

_I guess what I'm saying is I miss you. And if I didn't think it would give Erik the excuse to declare war, I'd take you up on the invitation to live there in a heartbeat._

_Thinking of you,_

_-Scott_

* * *

_Dear Jean,_

_I hope you're alright. I know the X-Men can be busy, though I have to admit I was sad to see the mailbox was empty when we got home. Lorna's missing Alex too, but I think she's also secretly pleased to think that means he's on the team. I'd love to hear how that's going when you get the time._

_I can't really complain about the drought, though, considering it's been almost a month since my last letter. I'm busy too. Erik's ramping up the rhetoric as well as the mission load; there are times when we just grab sleep in between cities. I'm trying to do what I can to minimize the damage, but it's almost like he's giving the Brotherhood permission to be thugs at this point._

_It's getting cold enough now for that hot chocolate date I mentioned before. As soon as your schedule lets up, we should catch up on everything that's been going on._

_I hope you're safe and that Alex is alright too._

_Missing you,_

_-Scott_

* * *

_Jean,_

_I've been watching the news where I can, and Lorna has been scanning newspapers. Is something going on? It doesn't seem like the X-Men have been in the news for a while. And Lorna snuck out a few nights back and didn't see anyone there._

_Maybe you're busy. I know the violence has been ramping up. People are throwing everything they've got at Magneto, and I'm sure there are lots of people caught in the crossfire. You've got to be getting a lot of calls for people in trouble, I'm sure._

_I keep an eye out for the X-Men when we're running missions. I just hope you're okay._

_-Scott_

* * *

The X-Men were all exhausted after their encounter with the Shi'ar. By the time they got home, they were worn down and ready to sleep for a month, and that's mostly what they were doing. They'd been sleeping a bit on the way home too, but they were tired, sore, and hungry too — so they did also have pizza on the way.

Jean would have been asleep too if not for the pile of letters addressed to her and Alex. Alex was already asleep, so she just slipped his under the door. But the ones addressed to her, she took up to her room to read, frowning when she realized how worried Scott had been. Especially since it was well into winter now, so it had been a while since he'd heard from her.

She bit her lip as she thought it over before she nodded to herself and then decided to head downstairs to get on Cerebro. If he was that worried, she hoped to find him faster this way, though if he was wearing that stupid helmet, she'd just have to write him a letter instead.

Thankfully for both of them, Scott was back at home when she reached out to find him, worn out himself from a run of missions.

_Scott, are you busy?_

The relief was obvious to hear even that far out.  _Jean, where are you?_

 _Westchester,_  she replied, though even her mental voice was tired.  _I'm sorry I've been out of touch. I was a little far to be able to reach out._

 _I'm just glad to hear you're okay,_ Scott told her, still obviously relieved.  _I was worried._ There was a pause.  _Erik's not here. I'm coming over._

_I'll be in the living room, with most of the others. We're waiting for dinner to get here; you're more than welcome to join us._

_I'll be right there,_ Scott promised.

And, true to his word, it wasn't long before the front doorbell rang, and Jean projected for Scott to come in. He was more than a little shocked, however, to see how  _exhausted_ the X-Men were.

"What happened?" he asked as he came to sit down by Jean.

"It's a long story, but we've been off-world for a while now."

"You've been… what?"

"Off-world, in space, on the other side of the galaxy fighting aliens," she said with a little smirk.

Scott stared at her for a moment. "That… what?"

She let out a sigh and then leaned toward him. "Do you want me to just show you?"

"Sure," he said as he pulled his arm around her shoulders. "Probably easier than talking when you're so worn out."

"It really is," she agreed before she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder as she reached out and began to simply show him as much as she could  _remember_ of the ordeal.

By the time she had shown him everything — the Sentinel platform that they had initially gone into orbit to destroy, the Shi'ar, the Phoenix, all of it — he was simply staring at her with his eyes wide behind the glasses. "Wow," he said, not really sure what else to say.

"So … it's been a long few weeks," she said finally before she gestured to the rest of the team, who were all more or less melted into wherever they'd  _stopped_ and sat down.

"No kidding," Scott said, shaking his head at her, though when the doorbell rang again with the pizza, he glanced at how the X-Men were laid out and let out a breath. "I'll get it."

It was a lot of very tired sort of shuffling from there, so Scott just tried to divvy out the pizza on some paper plates and  _bring_ it over, because it was clear no one wanted to move. Finally, he sat down by Jean with a couple plates and kissed her cheek. "Glad you're back."

"Me too; it was rough," she admitted. "Thanks. For helping us out. We could do it, but …"

"Hey, you guys need a break," Scott said.

"Didn't think you'd have that outlook," Jean teased.

"What, you think I want you guys run into the ground? You're confused by the helmet and cape," he teased right back.

"That's what you get for wearing a helmet and a cape in the first place," she chuckled. "Oh, but … we did find out that Ororo can control a  _cosmic_ storm too. So that was fun."

"See, now I'm just jealous," Scott said with a smirk. "Having all this fun without me."

"Fun never stops on this team, Mr. Summers," Jean said, smirking right back.

Scott nodded and leaned over the kiss her forehead. "Like I said, if I didn't think it would start a war, I'd sign up in a heartbeat."

"We've fought aliens now, Cyclops. Give us a few days to recover and I'll give you the new member tour."

Scott chuckled at that. "Do you have any room, or would I have to bunk up with someone? I"m not saying that's a deal breaker…"

"Oh, well there's plenty of room, but  _maybe_ we could find you a roomie if you don't want to be alone."

"I mean, considering my brother's here, that would be good for starters," he teased.

"That is actually what I was referring to, Mr. Summers."

"Good, because my mom raised me right," he teased right back.

"We've  _only_ been on one date," Jean said almost haughtily. "And I'm not that kind of girl."

"One and a half," he said. "There was half a date with burgers."

"That's still not nearly enough," she laughed. "And I can't believe we're talking about  _that_."

Scott shrugged. "You're the one asking me to come live with you," he said, perfectly straightfaced.

"I asked you to come to the school. I didn't say specifically to live with  _me_ ," she said, blushing. "Just for that, I should threaten to bunk you up with Bobby."

Scott chuckled at that. "Hey, I'm happy with staying with my brother, really," he swore. "But the opening was there, and I've  _missed_ you, Jean."

"Uh huh," she replied, shaking her head before she once again snuggled into him, her head on his shoulder as she yawned widely. "Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't even try to keep you here with me falling asleep like this."

"I don't mind," he promised.  _I could use some sleep too,_ he admitted.

 _Do you want Charles to tuck you in with your brother?_ she teased.

Scott chuckled.  _I'm perfectly comfortable right here,_ he said.

 _Almost_ , Jean agreed before she concentrated on floating a blanket over to cover up with.  _It's too bad you can't sleep over and have cocoa in the morning._

 _I'm planning to stay as long as I can,_ he said.  _I missed you._

 _I missed you too,_ Jean admitted.  _I kept thinking to myself that you should have been there with us._

 _I really wish I would have been,_ Scott said.  _I just don't know what the next step of escalation would be if Erik found me here_ again.

 _Well … I think we can handle him. I'm not sure of the full extent of what I can do now, but I_ feel  _stronger._

 _Yeah, you look it,_  he couldn't help but tease as he pulled the blanket up a little more to cover her shoulders.  _All worn out and powerful._

 _The two are not mutually exclusive,_  she replied, smiling to herself.  _And I can fly easier now, too._

 _Sold,_ Scott said with a little chuckle.  _Where do I sign up?_

 _I don't know if I can_ —  _or should_ —  _bring anyone with me, though. There's fire now._

 _Ah,_ Scott said, letting out a breath.  _Well, okay. I guess it's back to Erik and the Idiot Brigade,_ he had to tease.

_Oh, I see. If we can't fly, you're not interested. And don't think I missed that you said they were idiots._

_They are,_ Scott said.  _I've thought that since I met them. I mean, Wanda's okay, and Pietro's actually decent when he wants to be, but…._

 _Yeah, I'm sure,_  she agreed.  _Maybe it skips a generation._

Scott chuckled at that.  _Erik wasn't so bad when I first met him, you know,_  he told her gently.

_Comparatively, I'm sure he was a dream come true._

_He helped me learn how to control my powers_ —  _as much as he could. And for a while, it was just us, and he'd play chess and … it was nice._

 _I know what that's like,_ Jean said.  _Really, I do. That's not too different than when Charles started working with me to control my abilities._ She let her shoulders drop.  _But I really don't want to talk shop. I know how you feel. And I know that you won't let anyone sway you. I get that. Really, I do._

Scott let out a breath and gently kissed the top of her head.  _If it was just about choosing where to live or even just choosing sides, I'd stay right here with you. You know that, right?_

_Funny, but that's exactly what I thought it was._

_It's more complicated than that. There's Alex's safety and there's the fact that I'd be handing him an excuse to be even worse than he already is and…_ Scott let out a breath.  _And I'm worried if that happens, Erik is going to get himself killed._

 _I know_ , she replied gently.

 _And I don't know if I could live with myself if that happened,_ Scott said.  _Believe me, I wish it was just a matter of staying here with you and picking a side in some philosophical debate, but he's going to get himself_ killed  _if he escalates any further._

 _You know, I can mentally make you stop talking too,_ Jean said in a teasing tone.

Scott chuckled.  _Right, yeah. Sorry. I just…_ He let out a breath.  _It's a sign of how much I like you that I want to stay this badly and risk that. Is what I was trying to say._

 _Shush_ , Jean said, snuggling in a little better.

 _Right. Shutting up now,_ Scott said, shifting slightly so he could get comfortable too — and not at all surprised when he found himself drifting off shortly after Jean did.


	19. Busted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Erik finally finds out about Scott and Jean's relationship.

 

* * *

 

Because he knew that the X-Men had been totally exhausted by their space fight, Scott wasn't surprised that he and the rest of Magneto's Brotherhood didn't see them for a little while longer — though Erik seemed to be torn between thinking the X-Men were shrinking from him and thinking he was being ignored.

Scott was getting downright concerned about Erik's behavior, too. He had always suspected that Erik wanted to clash with the X-Men publicly to make some strange kind of point, but it was getting clearer that he was starting to believe his own hard line.

It wasn't  _yet_ the "join or die" rhetoric of people like Hydra, but it was hurtling that way. As it was, any favorable talk of the X-Men among Erik's ranks wasn't tolerated at all. Even the Avengers… Erik wouldn't tolerate good words about them because they hadn't stepped up to help mutants when people were being slaughtered, when mass murder was occurring.

Scott could understand some of that anger. Really, he could. It was frustrating that Earth's Mightiest Heroes had been nowhere to be found when an island full of people were cut down.

But Scott had to wonder if the "if you're not with us, you're against us" mentality wasn't just driving anyone who would have sided with them into the arms of the other side, away from Erik's extremism and hatred. Humans who could have been allies… people like Jean who had non-mutant family…

At the end of the day, who did Erik think was going to be left?

If this kept up, it wasn't going to matter if Scott defected to the X-Men. Erik would already be at war with them anyway.

Scott was seriously considering it as time went on, not just because of Jean but because he didn't want to  _be_ there anymore. He didn't want to watch Erik driving the nails in his own coffin and shrugging off anyone who tried to help him. He was watching someone he loved lose his mind, and it was hard.

At the moment, Scott was standing to the far side of a platform, listening to Erik whip a crowd up into a frenzy, talking about righting wrongs and being on the right side of history and all the things that had  _sounded_ good before. Now, all he could see was the fact that Erik was turning into exactly what he hated. These people were ready to grab their pitchforks and tear down any humans in their paths, and it was hard to watch.

It was no surprise when the rally turned violent, then, some counter-protesters bearing the brunt of things when the two sides got a little too close to one another.

Erik and the Brotherhood looked perfectly pleased with this turn of events, but…

Scott lifted the visor, stepping forward before he'd even thought about it to blast a line between the two parties. Which was definitely enough to draw their attention. One side was calling him a traitor, the other backing up a bit in obvious fear thinking he was going to level them too…

Hey, if they were already scared of him, he might as well play into it.

"Don't waste your time," Scott snapped at the mutants on the one side. "They're not worth it." He didn't specify who that was directed to, especially since he'd already turned his gaze toward the other side. "Get out of here."

"Feeling a little threatened, Cyclops?" asked a new voice, and Scott couldn't help but grin to himself — even if he did try to hide it.

"Just trying to make sure no one gets overly stupid," he said as he turned to face Jean — though when he did see her, he stopped outright, his mouth slightly parted. He couldn't help that he was staring.

She looked amazing. Her hair was down and flowing around her shoulders, and the new uniform seemed to draw attention to the line of her shoulders and the curve of her hips. And the whole ensemble was even more amazing considering it looked like she was walking on air as she came toward him.

For a moment, Jean paused, flushing slightly when she realized where his attention was. "Tongue-tied?" she asked with a little teasing smile.

Scott smirked. "Always," he said quietly. By that time, it was apparent that the Brotherhood was engaging the rest of the X-Men, but he was still so floored that it was hard to move on from smiling her way to doing anything else. At all.

Jean shook her head lightly before a commotion further out caught their attention, and she shook her head when she saw the group of rally-goers that were using the fight as cover to go after the counter protesters. "I hate that stupid helmet, you know," she said, already on her way over. "This would be more fun if we could  _talk_."

"Then steal it — it's not like I have telekinesis to stop you," Scott shot back as he rushed to keep up with her, headed for the same group.

Jean paused and then smirked to herself. "Tempting," she said.

Scott had to smirk too, though when a fight between Iceman and the Blob ended up tumbling their way, they had to really focus on the fight at hand — at least enough so that Jean could break up the rioting and Scott could make sure Fred didn't totally crush Bobby when he got a good enough hit in to stun him. Which, unfortunately for Bobby, meant an optic beam that pushed him back and away from Fred, but it was better than being pancaked.

Thankfully, by that time, a lot of the people had scattered out of the way of the fight between the Brotherhood and X-Men — though the ones that hadn't were being dealt with between Jean and Warren's efforts.

It was pretty typical of any fight between the two groups — right up until it wasn't anymore.

Scott didn't see what it was that set Jean off, but when there was a bright flash of fire, he sort of assumed it was Pyro — until he saw Jean in the middle of it. She had her arms outstretched, and she looked furious, but he wasn't close enough to hear what she was saying to Erik, who had dropped his magnetic hold on a pretty hurt Wolverine as Jean seemed to burn brighter.

As Scott rushed over to where Jean was, he could hear what she was telling Erik as she telekinetically pulled Logan to her side, keeping him out of the flames but still clearly away from Erik.

"...and stay away from my friends," she was saying, the fire seeming to burn a bit hotter for a moment before Erik positively went flying.

And yeah, Scott should probably have gone to see if Erik was alright, but he was just… he'd never seen this kind of power from Jean in person before, and he couldn't take his eyes off her as she floated back to the ground.

"You okay?" he asked before he could even think about it, almost hesitant about approaching when her hair was still surrounded by flames.

" _I'm_ fine," Jean said, still sounding angry before she glanced over her shoulder at Logan, who was at least healing up a little better after getting the metal inside him yanked around.

"Right." Scott stared at her for a moment longer, a sort of shocked grin on his face, even if he wasn't aware of it. He couldn't come up with anything else to say, though, and before he'd even thought it through, he closed the gap between them and just kissed her.

It was pretty clear that  _neither_ of them had been expecting the move, though after the initial surprise, Scott couldn't help but grin when not only did Jean wrap her arms around his shoulders to return the kiss but the helmet came off too.

He didn't really need it for this anyway.

So she had one hand in his hair and he had one hand on the small of her back when a shrill wolf whistle split the air, and Scott didn't even turn from Jean to shout over his shoulder, "Shut up, Quicksilver," before he kissed Jean again.

Which just had Bobby dying of laughter, especially since it seemed like half the Brotherhood — the half that hadn't been in on the letter correspondence — just… didn't know what to do about the whole thing.

When the kiss came to its natural end, both Jean and Scott were grinning, not in any rush to leave the spot where they were still half holding onto each other.

 _I think we're busted,_ Scott projected to Jean with a little smirk.

 _What makes you think that?_ She replied before she stole another, quicker kiss.

 _Oh, did you think anyone on the Idiot Brigade could keep his mouth shut? Wow. Optimist,_ he teased.

 _Well, I could just wipe it from their minds,_  she said, looking as if it might be a fun idea.  _But then I'll get_ looks  _from Logan for weeks._

Scott chuckled at that.  _The same Logan you just saved?_ he pointed out.  _He'll be fine. He's healing up._

_He will._

_Besides,_ Scott said, tracing her hair with his eyes closed,  _I'm not that sorry. Getting to the point that I can't pretend I don't want to do this all the time._

 _Say the word and we'll arrange for a ride,_  she said.  _Since flight by fire might not do you any favors._

 _Probably not,_ he said in a sigh.

 _It'll take some time for me to differentiate between the two power sets,_ Jean said.  _If I can. It's complicated._

Scott nodded.  _Well, I guess I'll just have to take the jet with you,_ he said.

"Oh darn," she replied before she kissed him again. "When would that be, dreamboat?"

"I mean, it's parked right over there, isn't it?" Scott said, tipping his head in the jet's general direction, though he kissed her right back after that.

"It is," she said, smiling wider. "Does that mean we're plus one on this return voyage?"

"If you don't mind," he said with a quiet smirk. "And if you don't mind my leaving the helmet behind … I'm not wearing something on my  _head_ he can mess with…"

"I think I can help you with that," Jean said. "If you can trust me, we can try it the next time we don't have an audience."

"Of course I trust you."

"Then it can be a cocoa date, and I can see if I can help you …"

Scott smiled and nodded and then leaned over to kiss her again. "And more of this too, right?" he teased.

"Well I thought that goes without saying, but if I have to say it ...  _yes._ "

"Well, I didn't want to assume…"

"Believe me, I'd tell you if it was a problem."

Scott grinned even wider and would have kissed her again — but this time, there was a sharp sort of tugging sensation at the metallic parts of his uniform. His feet went out from under him with the metal-lined boots, and he let out a sort of  _gak_ sound when the chain of his cape pulled him back too, leaving a line in his throat.

It was enough of a shock that Jean didn't think about it before she reacted — fire fanning out and rippling across the ground as she lifted up into the air again and made her way after Scott. He didn't get too far, though, before Charles reached out for her to stop.

 _Jean, let him go_ —  _you know he wants to come with you. We'll find a way that won't end in death_ , Charles projected to her.

Jean didn't look happy about it in the least, but she did at least let the fire drop a bit.  _We need to find a way fast, because I'm getting tired of this._

_I know. And so is he. We'll find a way to do it without driving Erik the rest of the way into madness._

Jean let out a breath that still had a bit of fire to it before she turned on her heel.  _Fine_.

And as for Scott, he'd found himself back with the Brotherhood and an incredibly  _livid_ Erik — that much was clear by the fact that he hadn't said anything. Even if Pietro was chuckling to himself and muttering, "out of your league," under his breath.

"You're not helping," Scott bit out under his breath.

"I'm not wrong either," Pietro said with a chuckle.

Scott stopped and then smirked as he rubbed his neck where the cape's chain had bit into him. "You're not," he said, the smirk widening a little more. "She's pretty amazing."

"Super out of your league."

"I know; isn't it great?"

"It really is," Pietro said, grinning widely — like Scott simply hadn't seen before.

"And here I have this thing to cover up my ugly," Scott said, flicking the helmet — which Erik had oh-so-kindly put back on.

"Yeah, well maybe that's why she's interested … can't see the worst of it."

"Gotta be something, anyway," Scott said, shaking his head and smirking even harder. He paused and then broke into a grin. "Though… I wasn't wearing any clothes when we first met."

"Yeah, but still," Pietro said, obviously  _highly_ entertained. "You didn't say your girlfriend was an Omega level."

"I … was surprised by what I saw today too," Scott admitted. "I've never seen that before."

"Well it was impressive," Pietro said before he rolled his entire body toward his father. "And on  _their_ side. Huh."

"Obviously, the girl has been holding back her full potential until now," Erik said — which was the first thing he'd said since they left, though he was still frowning hard.

"She's my age," Scott said, shaking his head. "I still don't have a handle on my powers fully. Not everything is subversive."

"That is a far cry from the little telekinesis she was showing before, though," Erik said.

Scott shook his head. "And telepathy," he said. "Don't sell her short; she was already powerful."

Erik looked more interested at that. "Two abilities are rare— and now another that seems entirely unrelated and far more powerful."

Scott held out both hands. "Like I said. Pretty amazing."

Erik was clearly thoughtful as he considered all of it. "And this is the same girl that you were captured with?"

Scott let out a breath and nodded. "Yeah. We've been in touch. I didn't know she was an X-Man until I'd already decided I liked her," he said, trying for a more conciliatory tone.

"I hadn't realized how  _involved_ you had been."

Scott hedged and then let out a breath. "Well… after Genosha, it was easier to stay in touch. And I did learn she was an X-Man when I was in Westchester, but like I said… I already liked her."

"And you would still like to pursue her."

"Um … are you kidding?" Pietro said. "Oh wait. You missed the good stuff. That's okay. I doubt you would have understood half of it."

Scott tried not to smirk too hard as he nodded Erik's way. "Yeah, I want to keep seeing her," he said. He paused, then added, "At this point… I can't change that I'm in love."

Erik weighed it out for a long moment. "Then if that's true, you should bring her here, where she will be safe."

"She isn't going to just leave the X-Men," Scott said. "Professor Xavier means a lot to her. He helped her — like you helped me."

"And if she feels the same way about you that you do about her, then she will go with you."

Scott let out a breath. "Erik, she doesn't trust you," he said frankly.

"So sway her."

Scott frowned and glanced up at Erik, who simply held his gaze. "I'll talk to her," he said at last. He paused, seeing an opportunity, and added, "I don't know how open she'll be, but… I'll talk to her, and maybe we'll figure it out over time."

Erik simply looked thoughtful for a long time before he nodded. "See that you do."

* * *

 


	20. Flirt to Convert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Erik wants to use Scott and Jean's relationship to his own ends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg apparently I had a brain fart and posted two chapters at a time last time I'm so sorry. At least they were two very awesome chapters lol! So here is that chapter again, separately, like it's supposed to be. *is embarrassed

 

Jean was about two steps away from marching down to Cerebro to find Scott and the stupid Brotherhood and give Magneto a piece of her mind — but for her promise to Charles not to do anything that would end up pushing Erik over the edge.

It was just so frustrating that two of her favorite people in the world were so attached to a manipulative supervillain.

She was downright annoyed, especially when it was so clear that Scott wanted to come with her, so she wasn't expecting it when Kurt had answered the phone at the institute when it rang and called out to her that it was for her.

She had no idea who it could be, but she broke into a huge smile when she heard Scott on the other end with a bright sort of, "Hi, Jean."

"How much trouble are you in — and are we storming the castle? Because I'm sure we can have the jet in the air in under ten minutes."

Scott chuckled. "No, no rescue needed. I actually…" He paused. "Okay, so I managed to convince Erik to let it go and — well, do you want to go out on Friday?"

"Wait. What?"

"Friday. There's a weekend special on popcorn and a movie, and we haven't ever done that together," Scott said.

"No, we haven't," she said.

She could hear the smile in Scott's tone even if he was on the other end of the phone. "Well, as long as I stay away from Westchester and the X-Men—"

"Oh, so big bad Magneto's afraid of sweet little Charles Xavier and his team. I see how it is."

"Hey, I'm not going to look too hard if he's not going to stand in the way," Scott said. "But that's the deal."

"Why do I not believe that he's going to stand out of the way?"

"Well…" Scott paused. "He does seem to be under the impression that I'm going to ask you to come to our side. Which… I said I would do... but I said it might take a _while_ …"

"Yeah, well. That was an understatement," she said with a smile. "Movies and popcorn, huh?"

"To be honest, I haven't even been to the movies since before I lost my parents, so I figure there's got to be _something_ I haven't seen that's good."

"Well we'll find something worth watching, I'm sure," she said. "Then maybe a little cocoa and a walk?"

"That sounds perfect. Can I meet you at the theater at seven? I'd pick you up, but that's big bad Charles Xavier territory," he teased.

"It so is, and you Brotherhood types just can't take it, so … yes. I'll meet you there at seven. You'll be the one with the bucket head, right?"

Scott laughed outright at that. "I'll be the one in the shades," he said.

"That ought to narrow it down," she giggled.

"I'll see you then," Scott laughed. "Try not to walk off on the arm of some other guy with glasses on. I know it's hard."

"I'll try," she said. "So maybe don't be late."

"I'll be there," he promised before he hung up, and Jean was left smiling to herself at the situation.

* * *

Friday couldn't come soon enough for Scott, and he was out the door as soon as he could get changed once evening rolled around — though he did feel bad that he was only taking a letter from Lorna to Alex and not taking her along for a double date.

Not that he dwelt on it for that long when he caught up with Jean outside the theater and grinned. "You look amazing," he said as he offered her his arm.

Jean smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "You look pretty great yourself when you're not in that bucket."

"Yeah, I'm starting to think purple and black aren't my colors," he teased.

"I think you do much better with … oh, maybe blue."

"Hey, what do you know; that's my favorite color," Scott said with a grin.

"Amazing," she said, grinning.

Scott shook his head at her and stole a quick kiss before they headed inside — where Jean was highly entertained by how much Scott genuinely _enjoyed_ the movie. They were holding hands the whole time, but Jean was watching the boyish grin on Scott's face. There was a lot that Scott simply hadn't done in his life when so much of it had involved Sinister and Magneto, and she was honestly happy watching him experience it.

He was still grinning when they got out of the theater and walked together down a couple blocks to get some cocoa, and she couldn't help but pull him into a kiss before they went inside the coffee shop.

"So … I don't know if you're still up for it … but I think I can help you — at least temporarily and without an inhibitor," Jean said.

Scott raised an eyebrow but nodded. "That would be nice. I do like seeing you without the glasses," he said with a soft smile.

"Then let's find somewhere quiet and out of the way," she said, offering him her hand.

Scott nodded at that and then went ahead and pulled her over to steal a kiss too before he followed her. "I know Charles looked around in my head, but we never got to actually work on anything before Erik broke up the party."

"Most of what Charles teaches is self-control and finding your serenity to balance things so you _can_ control your powers better. It's very meditative."

Scott nodded. "It makes sense," he said. "I can always get a better focus on my beams when I'm not angry or tired or something."

She smiled slyly. "That's the same for everyone." She led him further from the crowd — if you could call it that. She bit her lip, and a short moment later, they were alone, blocked from anyone that might stumble across them. "Okay. So a lot like when you met with Charles, you need to relax and open your mind to me …"

Scott nodded at that and seemed to take a moment to settle out, dropping his shoulders. _Helps that I trust you more than I did him when I met him._

She smiled at that and took both of his hands in hers to give him a squeeze before they drifted up to rest at his temples. _I'm very glad to hear that._ She had to force the smile back to concentrate properly, and when she found the right spot in his mind, she couldn't help but let out an almost breathless little laugh before she gently took his glasses off and leaned in for a kiss. "Scott, you can open your eyes."

"Not when you're right in front of me," he said.

"Scott, trust me; you can open your eyes."

He frowned for a second and then almost winced before he did. And when there was no resulting blast, his eyes went a little wider, and he grinned and pulled her into a long kiss. "How'd you do that?"

"I told you; I'm a lot stronger than I was before," she replied with a grin.

"How do _I_ do it?" he asked, grinning as he traced a hand over her face and obviously took her in. "I'd love to see this all the time."

"It'll take some time to show you — and I'm afraid it won't be a single session."

"Oh no, you mean I have to keep seeing you?" he teased. "What a nightmare."

"I know," she said before she shifted closer for another kiss. "So when would you like your next session? I can keep it like this for a while anyhow."

"Well, we'll have to play it by ear when both of us have team obligations, but…" Scott smiled at her. "I'd say a standing appointment every weekend would be nice. With a free pass to cancel if we get called away for something."

"I think at this point if you get called away, we'll probably be seeing each other anyhow."

"You're not wrong." Scott frowned for a moment and then kissed her. "Erik's really interested in your power, by the way. That's the only reason I'm not in serious trouble. What you can do… he'd love to have that."

"I'm sure, but I really don't want to talk about it with him. I mean … if I show him, he really, really won't like it."

Scott smirked at that and nodded before he leaned over to kiss her again. "I did tell him you weren't going to leave the X-Men, but hey, now I can say I brought it up with you."

"You did, and you can say I'm terribly stubborn — just like my mentor."

"I like that you're stubborn," Scott said with a smirk.

"Oh sure, you say that _now_."

Scott smirked a little wider. "Well, I'm pretty stubborn too. And since we're both pretty set on making this work around some really ridiculous situations… I'm going to have to say I'm glad for it." He paused and then added, "It's part of why I'm pretty stubbornly in love with you."

"That's quite the declaration, Mr. Summers." She kissed him again. "But I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual."

Scott grinned at that. "That's a relief, because I can't do a thing to change the way I feel about you."

"That's awfully romantic, I have to admit."

"Have to keep up with the girl who's so out of my league," Scott said with a smile before he simply pulled her into a much longer kiss.

* * *

For a couple months, it was obvious to see that Scott was walking on air every weekend. Every time he saw Jean, it took him a couple days just to get his head out of the clouds again — and he had even managed to finagle things with Wanda and Lorna's help to get something for Christmas, which was coming up fast.

Of course, none of that was helpful to Erik, who was starting to wonder what exactly he would see when it came to returns on this particular endeavor. As far as he could see, the only thing that was happening was that Scott had his mind less and less on missions and strategy and more and more on the next weekend rendezvous.

It was harder to rein him in than it had been when he was younger. He was past his teenage years, twenty now, and he was at an age where of course romance was important to him.

But still, this was becoming a distraction rather than a possible avenue of growth.

Scott was supposed to go out again later that evening, but before he left, Erik caught up to him. And when he did, Scott's expression fell a bit.

"Something come up?"

"You haven't made any progress with your little girlfriend," Erik said. "And we're far too busy to waste so much time on a dead end. Bring her here or end it."

Scott stared at him for a moment, obviously taken aback. "That's not … no. I'm not going to… you can't ask me to _end it_ just because you're impatient!"

"I've given you plenty of time," Erik said as reasonably as he could.

"It's only been a couple months."

"And how much time do you need to convince a girl that's supposed to be in _love_ with you?"

"That's not fair," Scott said, frowning hard. "I'm not going to _use_ that."

"Scott, I _need you here_ , helping me. This … arrangement is making it impossible to get any progress. You have to see that. I truly thought you were committed to the cause."

Scott held up both hands and shook his head. "I haven't let this get in the way — I've put missions ahead of dates."

"Scott, you've been unfocused," Erik said frankly. "This girl is turning you into a shadow of what you were."

"That's not true," Scott said. "She's important to me, Erik. There should be room in our mission for love. I thought the whole point was to let mutants _live_. Not just survive."

"And I thought I had a lieutenant in you," Erik replied, his eyes narrowed. "That was what I put all that effort and time into."

"You can't expect me to just… turn my back on having any relationships for myself," Scott said. "I talk to her about your offer every time I see her. You know I do."

"Then perhaps you see each other too often to be effective."

Scott looked stunned. "What?"

"As they say, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder'," Erik replied with a smirk. "Perhaps your lovely young lady simply needs to miss you more."

"I… but the holidays are…" Scott still looked stunned. "At least let me see her Christmas Eve. I promised I'd spend some time with her family. It's important to her."

"Well, that's still a few weeks off," Erik said.

"Erik," Scott said quietly, "this is important to me."

"And you can see her at the holidays," Erik replied. "I'm not arguing that. But not before."

Scott frowned for a long time before he turned on his heel. "Fine," he said. "Fine. I'll put more work in to make up the difference when I'm not seeing her, but I can do both, Erik. I'm not one of your Brotherhood cronies. I do actually know how to multitask."

Erik narrowed his eyes but didn't say much beyond: "Good. See that you do."

* * *

Usually, when Scott broke a date, Jean would get to see him anyway — it was an indication of some kind that the X-Men were about to go have to deal with some issues with the Brotherhood.

But this time, there hadn't been anything like that, and it left Jean honestly worried, all things considered.

She debated what to do for a while before ultimately deciding on using Cerebro, since she'd been able to find him that way before. Though if he was with Erik in that helmet, it wouldn't work…

Still, she decided it was worth the shot, so she headed downstairs and started up her search, relieved when Scott was where she thought to look, based on what both Lorna and Scott had said about the latest hideout.

_Scott, are you okay?_

It was obvious she'd startled him, and he took a moment to arrange his thoughts. _Relatively. I just mailed you a letter, actually. Sorry about the date._

_What happened?_

_Erik is impatient,_ Scott said in a sigh. _He doesn't … well, I'm supposed to be trying to win you over to our side, and apparently, that's not happening fast enough. And I'm 'distracted'._

_Am I distracting you too much? Do you want me to stop distracting you? We could play Scrabble. Or Monopoly._

Scott chuckled at that. _I really don't mind being distracted by you,_ he said. _But Erik seems to think it's a problem._

 _Oh good, because I'm not really in the mood for board games,_ Jean projected back. _Maybe he needs a distraction. Want me to arrange for a firebird recruitment?_

 _You know I do actually have to live in the place, so please don't burn it down,_ he teased.

_How about just the wing with all the stupid in it?_

_Yeah. Problem is I live in that wing. Because I can't be trusted, Jean. I'm a rebel,_ Scott deadpanned.

 _You are,_ she laughed to herself. _Bad Boy Summers. Next thing you know, you'll be rolling packs of cigarettes up in your shirt sleeves and slicking your hair back. Wearing your jeans two sizes too small … greaser Summers. That'd be a look_

Scott was laughing by then. _What, you think the Magneto look isn't 'bad' enough for you?_

 _That's an entirely different kind of 'bad',_ she teased. _You know Storm can't wait to get you into some clothes that fit you properly, right?_

 _I'm sure,_ Scott said with a smirk. _And you know I'd look much better in yellow…_

_Of course you would. Though you might be better off in more blue than yellow. It's the color scheme, you know. For … everyone but me. And Ororo. And Remy._

_That's my girl. Breaking the mold. We'll ignore the rest._

_Well, we're two of a kind then, aren't we? I mean … the people you work with combined have an IQ of what? 80?_

_That's generous,_ Scott laughed.

_There are a lot of them. I was trying to be nice._

_I have to live with them. I gave that up a long time ago._

_See? Smart boy._

Scott was obviously grinning by then. _I wish we could do this all the time._

 _We can. Tell me when you expect to be free_ — _or just at this time? And I can get to Cerebro if I'm not tied up otherwise._

 _Well…_ Scott thought about it for a long moment. _Mornings. Mornings are best. That's usually when Erik and I are the only ones awake and he'll give me some assignment and won't check in until afternoon. I've been doing schematics again. Strategy. And planning for that big space station he wants to build as a second Genosha._

 _Oh, what could_ possibly _go wrong with that?_

_You mean aside from the missile launches, the fact that it's not easily evacuated, and the issue of transportation and getting it up there in the first place?_

_And the fact that you'll have a bunch of idiots up there that would break it on the first day._

_No kidding._ He paused. _I almost wonder if he wouldn't keep the Brotherhood_ — _at least some of them_ — _here, though. The way he talks about this place… he keeps saying he only wants the best. It feels like…_

_Private party?_

_I was going to say eugenics, but yours is nicer._

_I was trying there to be tactful._

_Believe me; it freaks me out enough that tact isn't my main concern. Do you think you'd be able to reach me up there?_

_With Cerebro? Or are you talking about a sleepover? Because I can tell you: I can fly in space just fine._

_Well, I was asking about Cerebro, but now I'm thinking about inviting you for a sleepover instead. So there's that._

_I'd be hard to miss. The giant firebird rocketing toward you …_

_The giant, gorgeous firebird,_ he corrected her.

_The flames are really rather pretty, aren't they?_

_What flames?_

_Oh. I see how it is._ Jean was clearly smiling as she projected to him. _So when's our next date, super smooth bad-boy Summers?_

 _Sad to say I'm not getting out of here until the holidays, but I'll see you on Christmas Eve like I promised,_ Scott said.

 _I'll be looking forward to it_ — _and in the meantime, I'll reach out in the morning._

 _Waking up with you_ — _sounds perfect._

 _Scott..._ She was grinning hard for that. _You're getting a little fresh. And here I thought you were tired._

_I can back off if you want me to…_

_That is_ not _what I said._

 _Maybe it just comes out a little less filtered like this,_ Scott admitted. _Thinking is harder to arrange…_

_Well it was pretty perfect. I'm not complaining._

_Good._ Scott was clearly grinning on his end too. _I'm just glad to talk to you, even if I hate waiting to see you._

_I think I know what to get you for Christmas now._

_Well, don't think about it too hard … and don't get me thinking about it. I'm trying to keep it a surprise!_

_What? Me? Fishing? Ne-ver ever._

_You're not fooling anyone, Ms. Grey._

_I only have to fool you for this one._ Her mental voice was clearly laughing.

_Good point. Still, this … trust me. This is not something you want to ruin._

_Don't worry. I don't want to wreck any of your plans, sweetheart._

Scott grinned to himself. _I'm supposed to go to a meeting with Erik now, but… I'll talk to you again soon._

_So would it mess with you if I told you 'good luck' and that I love you?_

Scott was obviously grinning even wider. _Well, only in that it's hard not to smile when you say that. But since you don't have to go to a meeting that you need to look not-distracted in... I love you too._

_Then maybe I won't say that. Instead, I'll just say it's too bad for you that you have to wait for me to kiss you._

_Well, there you go. Now I'm hung up on that, and I'm never getting it back. I'm doomed._

_Good luck, Scott. I'll talk to you in the morning, unless you're asleep when I reach out. Then I might just have to visit ..._

_Really, really good dreams, then. Got it._ Scott chuckled. _Love you, Jean. See you soon._

_Love you too, Scott._


	21. Long-Term Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jean and Scott spend Christmas together and make it pretty clear that no matter what nonsense is going on with the situation with Erik, they're going to choose each other every time.

 

* * *

When Scott arrived at her family's house for Christmas Eve, Jean couldn't have been more thrilled. She'd been looking forward to it all month, even if they had been able to talk all the time using Cerebro.

Which, she'd been told by several of her teammates, was not the intended use of Cerebro. But she ignored them.

Still, it was different now that they could see each other in person, and Jean didn't hesitate to throw her arms around Scott's neck and pull him into a long kiss before she reintroduced him to her family. She'd even invited Alex out — so it was a proper family celebration.

She didn't bother to pretend that she wasn't already tangled up in his mind as they sat down together — especially because it was so fun to listen to his thoughts on the holiday celebrations. He had grown up celebrating Christmas as a kid and then spent the last few years celebrating Hanukkah with Erik's family — mostly Lorna and the twins, since Erik was always busy, somehow, when it came to family events.

He was just so  _thrilled_ to have a family Christmas again that Jean couldn't help but get caught up in his happiness too.

They ate dinner together and sang a few carols and watched  _White Christmas_  like they always did around this time of year, and Jean couldn't help but curl into Scott as the day went on, holding hands and even resting her head on his shoulder.

As night fell, the two of them stole away for a little while, going on a walk out into the snow as it fell in large flakes, almost lazily drifting from the sky.

Jean was enjoying just spending the time with Scott when he stopped and pulled on her hand to get her to turn his way, smiling almost hesitantly as he took her other hand. "So, I've got something for you that I don't think I can wait until morning to give you."

"Impatient," Jean said with a smirk, though she was only just resisting the urge to peek in his head and see what he was up to.

Scott smirked back at her before he seemed to nod to himself and pulled a little box out of his pocket. The size of it made it clear it was a ring, but Jean was still shocked and a bit wide-eyed when she took it and gently opened it to see the brilliantly blue band with red rubies set in it.

"Scott…"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I know the situation with Erik is … I know it's sort of … well, very frustrating. But… this is my promise that we'll find a way to get past it," he said. He smiled quietly. "I want to spend every day with you, Jean."

Jean was still surprised before she almost couldn't help but smile and then threw her arms around Scott to kiss him. When they broke apart, she was still beaming. "I'll hold you to that promise," she teased.

Scott smirked and kissed her back before he gently took her hand to slide the ring on. It wasn't cool or metallic as Jean had expected from a ring, and he smirked to himself before he explained, "Acrylic. Wanda helped me pick something out that doesn't have one bit of metal in it. Blue acrylic and red rubies."

Jean smiled and only waited until he had the ring on her hand before she kissed him again. "You're such a romantic," she said, shaking her head at him.

He smiled at that. "Yeah, well, Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," she said, shaking her head before she kissed him again.

Scott was still smiling as he took her hand. "I wrote your dad a month ago," he admitted. "I'm surprised you didn't catch it from him. I was really trying to keep from thinking about it or projecting…"

"I… do actually try not to peek at Christmas," Jean admitted. "It ruins the magic of the moment."

Scott smirked at that. "Oh, good. I was really hoping to surprise you."

Jean smiled. "Well, you did," she said, then bit her lip.  _Now maybe I can return the favor,_ she added, this time reaching out to him telepathically.

Scott's smirk turned into a smile.  _Yeah?_

She nodded.  _I've been working on these new powers… and my old ones. And I think I might have a way that we can stay in contact without Cerebro._

Scott raised an eyebrow at that.  _Really?_

Jean nodded again, reaching up to brush some of his hair back and then keeping her hand there at his temple.  _If you want, I think I can connect our minds. It's a lot stronger than just talking… it's more like what we've been doing with your powers._

_Would it be like that all the time?_

_No,_ she promised.  _But we'd be able to reach out to each other any time._ She paused.  _But I can't undo it, so_ —

 _So you're thinking just as long-term as I am,_ Scott said, unable to hide the smile at that.

Jean flushed.  _Well, yes,_ she said,  _or I wouldn't have taken the ring._

 _Good point,_ Scott said before he stepped forward and kissed her gently.  _Yeah, I think that sounds amazing,_ he said at last when the kiss broke.

Jean smiled before she brought her other hand up to rest against his temple and then rested her forehead against his, closing her eyes to concentrate. She was sure that she could do it, but she was also exceedingly careful as she set up the connection, leaving the metaphorical door open, but  _only_ for her to get through and  _only_ for him to come into her mind. It was hard to explain, but by the time she was through, both of them were grinning and sharing in each other's excitement.

 _You know this means I'm never going to be able to stay 'undistracted' now, right?_ Scott had to tease after a moment. They were both still standing there leaning into each other, not about to move.

_I did tell you I can't undo it._

_I'm not complaining,_ he said, shaking his head.  _I've been enjoying spending my mornings with you as it is. Getting to talk with you any time we want…_

 _Merry Christmas,_ Jean said with a smile before she gently kissed him again.

* * *

Even though Scott had only been gone a couple of days, it felt like leaving an entirely different life coming back to the Brotherhood and Magneto.

There was plenty of teasing, though, especially from Pietro, who seemed to think the whole thing was hilarious and was getting almost more entertained the more annoyed Erik got. And considering the fact that Scott hadn't brought Jean home with him, Erik was, in fact, annoyed.

Scott was trying to smooth things, over, though. He didn't want Erik to take another hard line, and with the new connection to Jean in his mind, he was sure he wouldn't be doing quite the same countdown he had been doing before. He'd still look forward to every date, but he was trying to make it clear that he could balance both sides of his life.

"I was thinking about that space station," he said as soon as Erik came into his study that morning, "trying to figure out a worst-case scenario evacuation plan that doesn't involve leaving our people as sitting targets too." He shook his head. "On the one hand, escape pods would be a good option. Don't want people exposed to space if the station itself is compromised, and smaller targets draw less attention. On the other hand, I'm running into a wall when it comes to how to defend the pods or collect them or keep them from drifting into danger… smaller rocket-lifeboats might also work. We could outfit them with weapons…"

Erik raised an eyebrow at Scott, obviously not expecting — or entirely trusting — the conversation to take this turn at the moment. "You're already considering a retreat before we even finish construction?"

"I'm looking ahead," Scott said. "And after what happened on Genosha, we can't ask anyone to trust us to keep them safe if we don't have a plan for another attack like that."

"Of course we can," Erik said. "That is the whole point of what we've been doing, Scott. Eradicate the threat, and there is no need to retreat."

"Yeah, but that's long-term. And if you want this station operational sooner than later, I'm operating under the assumption that it's  _not_ going to be able to wait until after the war is over."

Erik frowned, his eyes narrowed and his head tipped to the side as he considered it. "Fair enough," he said at last.

Scott nodded and tipped his head toward the blueprints he'd been studying. "They're trusting us with their lives, Erik. I'm just trying to help."

"I'm simply surprised at your sudden interest," Erik said. His tone was mild, but it was obvious he was more than a little suspicious of the whole thing.

"It's not sudden," Scott said. "This is what I've been doing with you from the start. And you pointed out to me that I've been distracted. I'm trying to make up for that."

"And yet I have to wonder what it is that has motivated this renewed interest in our goals," Erik said. He raised an eyebrow. "I can't help but notice it coincides with my orders to reduce your contact with that girl."

Scott let out a breath and then let his shoulders drop, his body language open as he spread out his hands. "I'm trying to prove to you that Jean isn't holding me back. I  _can_ be your lieutenant and see her too."

"And you've chosen to do that by outlining emergency routes."

"You know I'm right on this," Scott insisted. "No one will step foot in any mutant haven we create unless we can promise them we've learned from Genosha. It's not just about emergency planning. No one will trust us if they think it's another case of leading the lambs to the slaughter."

Erik listened to everything Scott had to say and then weighed it out. "Then perhaps t would be wise to add additional means on top of what you have already."

Scott nodded quickly. "I was just thinking of a basic plan, but we can absolutely expand it, especially as the station gets fuller and we're able to adjust as we see things come up."

"Best to plan for more than what we expect. We can perfect it as the station grows."

Scott nodded. "We'll want to make sure to keep up the measures along with the numbers. The last thing we want is to have a  _Titanic_ situation ... not enough lifeboats… It's going to bother me until I know anyone living up there has a safe way out if the worst happens."

"Then I'll leave it in your hands," Erik said.

Scott nodded before he sat down with the plans laid out in front of him. "I know it won't be operational for a little while, but… we have to have this planned before it's finished. And when it is, I want it to be like what we had. A school and a way of  _living_. A real country, not a refugee camp."

Erik nodded at that — that at least sounded more like the young man he had worked to nurture for years. "Yes of course," he said. "It will be better than Genosha. Safer and more powerful."

"That's what I'm hoping," Scott agreed. "I'm going to take a look at the security systems too, once those are up and running. Anything comes our way, we should know about it with plenty of time to spare — to either destroy it or at least minimize the damage."

Erik simply nodded once more. He was, of course, pleased to see Scott more focused. But he had to wonder how long that would last before the girl became a distraction again.

* * *

Jean was in an excellent mood.

She and Scott had spent another Friday night together, curled up with some hot chocolate and a movie in Jean's room at her home. Since Scott couldn't go to Westchester, that was most often where they wound up, and Jean couldn't pretend she didn't love how much Scott loved her family too.

It was always hard to say goodbye again, though Jean was at least glad that Scott had something he could work on for Erik that he didn't hate. He really had loved Genosha and had given everything to trying to make it a good place to live, and if Erik was going to insist on another haven like that, Jean was glad that those people would have Scott looking out for them too.

They knew that they were eventually going to have to address the fact that this new haven would be in space — where it would be much harder for them to find each other. But at least for the moment, they were glad that the project wasn't one that went against his conscience.

Still, they could deal with that when it came up. Scott seemed optimistic that he could convince Erik to let him stay earthbound as long as he kept up the work ethic… and that Erik would get used to the idea of his relationship with Jean and let up eventually. Jean, on the other hand, was ready to lay down the rules for how things were going to be if Erik proved Scott wrong.

But for now, she was still in a good mood when she got back to Westchester and even made it a point to give Logan a little kiss on the temple where he was having coffee over his newspaper that morning.

"Anything happen while I was gone?"

"Nothin'," Logan said, frowning to himself before he shifted in his chair away from her.

"How boring for you," Jean said, in too good a mood to let anything get her down as she poured her own coffee. "I had a great time."

"Yeah, real worried about that," Logan deadpanned.

"You should be," Jean teased. "You know when it happens, the team will be invited," she said, wiggling her left hand.

Logan half folded his paper over and turned his head to take a look, only to give her a completely unimpressed little noise before he went back to his paper.

Jean rolled her eyes. "Just for that, I'm going to make sure it's white tie. You'll need a tux."

"Think I don't have one?" Logan asked, still making a little face,0 even if he was clearly doing his best not to look right at her.

"Well, do you?"

"Of course I do," Logan replied sounding almost insulted. "Is that all you've got on your mind?"

"I'm allowed to be excited about it," Jean said, matching his tone.

"Then be excited with your little cheerleadin' squad."

Jean rolled her eyes and tipped his chair back telekinetically. "Oh, just… just be happy for me, would you? I really love him."

"I am, Jeannie," Logan replied. "And as long as you're happy, that's all that matters, okay?"

"That's right it is," Jean said, shaking her head at him.

Logan frowned after her for a long moment before he got up and simply headed out to the garage without a word.


	22. Two Masters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I can't believe I'm saying it, but... Sinister makes a solid argument. He has a point, here.

 

* * *

Erik had sent the full Brotherhood on a mission the previous weekend, so Scott was glad to see Jean for dinner that night when it had been a couple weeks since the last time they got to see each other in person.

In some ways, having that telepathic bond made it harder to be on opposite sides when it felt like they were together all the time but actually weren't. It made it easier in other ways, but whenever they did get together, it was always the same. A long kiss hello and an evening and night spent where they were never  _not_ touching each other, even just holding hands.

They had a corner booth as they went out to dinner, curled up together and simply enjoying each other's company. With how often they talked across the distance, there wasn't much to talk about. And they didn't want to talk shop, not with the space station so close to completion.

It was a restaurant they hadn't gone to before, but Jean was already sure she wouldn't be coming back. The fried catfish smelled odd.

"It smells fine to me," Scott said, and Jean's head came up.

"What?"

"I mean, you can have mine if you don't want yours," Scott offered, gesturing to the breaded chicken he'd ordered.

Jean had to smile at that and then did go ahead and switch plates with him, leaning into him and shaking her head to herself. She was just snacking on the rolls when she thought she could smell something else, though she couldn't figure out why it smelled so… overly clean.

Scott frowned and leaned over to kiss her cheek.  _Are you alright?_

 _I think so,_ she said with a frown.  _I just don't know …_

 _We'll go somewhere else next time,_ he suggested, already laying out the bills to pay the check before he offered her a hand to her feet.  _Why don't we get some peppermint sticks and hot chocolate. That ought to help with the fried food smell._

_You just want hot chocolate._

_And is there any reason you don't?_ He teased, giving her hand a little squeeze.

 _No, but I'm looking forward to the fresh air more,_ Jean admitted, smirking at him.  _You know. After we get our cocoa and head into the park._

Scott smiled as he slid his hand around her waist as they walked together to the door.  _I'm game,_ he said.

The two of them headed down the street together, and Jean did seem to feel much better for the fresh air and the hot chocolate. Scott was a little worried when they got to the park, though, when she seemed to get dizzy all of a sudden.

"Woah, hey," he said, helping her to sit down at the nearest bench. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, of course," Jean said with her hand to her temple. "Just … a little off balance, I guess."

"Maybe we should get you inside," Scott said. "If you're coming down with something…"

"No, I'm okay," she insisted. "Besides … it's backing off. Really."

Scott frowned before he got to his feet again, intending to give her a shoulder to lean on and to get her inside and out of the cold — but he started to feel a bit dizzy as well.  _Something's wrong,_ he projected to her, even as he put out a hand for balance.

_Scott … what's going on?_

_I don't know,_ he said, already looking around, but it didn't take long before things started to go a little fuzzy — and then black.

* * *

The sensation of waking up to a sort of antiseptic smell and the feeling of leather straps keeping him from going anywhere was starting to become distressingly familiar to Scott. He instinctively tugged against the straps holding him down to the bed as soon as he had registered that they were even there, but there was absolutely no give to them.

It took him a second to readjust to the light levels, too. Everything seemed just that slightest bit too bright when he was still coming around from whatever it was that had put him and Jean on the ground in the first place.

He knew without even looking who had to be responsible for the setup, but it was still frustrating to see the pale doctor looking incredibly smug as he looked over some test results.

Scott hadn't given the man any indication that he was awake, but then, this doctor had telepathic powers. As soon as Scott was awake — and he had finished looking over his results — he turned toward Scott with an honest-to-goodness grin that had Scott more freaked out than anything else.

"A perfect match, as I told you," Sinister said, looking overly pleased with himself as he took the few steps to stand closer to Scott, almost absently resting a hand on his arm. "Absolutely wonderful. And I noticed that acrylic ring. Very interesting. I take it your master doesn't approve."

Scott narrowed his eyes and almost unconsciously bared his teeth. "That's not—"

Sinister waved a hand dismissively. "Of course it is," he said in a brusque sort of tone. "It's such a waste, really. The man clearly understands that you have potential, but he fails to nurture it in any way that doesn't resemble a child with a sledgehammer." He shook his head and tutted slightly. "Such a waste. I on the other hand was always guiding you to grander things."

"Yeah, I definitely got that impression from the drugging, kidnapping, and experimentation," Scott shot back dryly.

For just a moment, the man narrowed his eyes, but then he tutted and shook his head. "You don't seem to understand, my boy," he said, which had Scott narrowing his eyes even further behind his glasses. "Had you remained with me, you absolutely would not be wearing that ridiculous helmet. And I certainly wouldn't keep you from your lovely match." He chuckled. "Quite the opposite, in fact."

"Leave her alone."

"Really, Scott," Essex said, almost chuckling to himself and shaking his head. "All that time spent with your so-called savior and all it's done is make you suspicious and untrusting. Why is that, do you think?"

"Better him than you any day," Scott shot back.

Essex raised an eyebrow at that, almost amused. "That's quite the bold statement, Scott," he said. "I wonder if you'll still feel that way when that ridiculous space station is finished."

"You don't know what you're—"

"Scott, it's so unbecoming to lie," Essex said, even going so far as to tut as he rested a hand on the end of Jean's bed. She was still unconscious, and deeply so, and Scott had to wonder if Essex had given her something… But then Essex smiled over at Scott, drawing his attention again. "I know you're too smart to naively  _hope_ that you will be allowed to remain here on Earth. Your value to Magneto has been in your ability to inspire loyalty and to run his kingdom for him while he plays at being important." Essex chuckled. "Think about it, Scott.  _I_ would never separate you from your lovely bride-to-be. I  _introduced_ you!"

For a long moment, Scott simply didn't know how to respond to that, especially when there was just enough truth in it that it was hard to deny.

Essex chuckled as he circled around to draw some blood from Jean, still looking thoroughly pleased. "Short-sighted," he chuckled. "That's unexpected from you, Scott. You had such potential, and it seems your current master has not only squandered it but stifled its expression. That can't stand — especially not when you have such plans for your future." He smirked to himself. "Or do you truly believe you can make your family with Jean an island in the middle of the storm around you?"

"That's none of your business."

"It's my life's work," Essex countered. "And I cannot stand idly by when you are  _wasted_ , Scott. Why do you think I've been stepping in to guide you?"

"I was under the impression you were running some kind of psychotic—"

"You cannot grow standing in the shadow of a would-be king," Essex interrupted him. "You've learned all there is to learn from this ridiculous endeavor, and now I'm left to pick up the pieces and place you back on a path that fuels your potential — not some silly little powerplay."

"I'm not going to just… roll over for you," Scott said, shaking his head.

Essex laughed to himself at that. "You don't have all the pieces, Scott. But you will." He shook his head as he gathered a few things and then turned to leave. "You have the night to consider your situation, Scott. After all, as I understand it, no one expects either of you to show your faces until the morning." He gestured around the room. "You have time."

Scott glared after the doctor until he was gone and then turned his attention back to Jean, calling out to her to try to get a response — not that he could do much else.

It took a little while, but she finally started to rouse, and Scott let out a breath of relief as she turned her head his way. "We're in trouble," he said. "I don't suppose there's any chance you can contact Charles… Are your powers working? I've still got the glasses; I don't know…"

"No," Jean said, testing her restraints. "Not yet anyhow."

Scott let out a breath. "That's what I thought," he admitted. "You missed the gloating, by the way."

"Oh darn," she said in a breath. "So what's the plan, handsome?"

"Well, if one of us can get free, the plan is to run out of here fast," Scott said. "Plain and simple. This guy …" He shook his head lightly. "He's playing for  _keeps_."

"What?"

"Yeah." Scott let out a breath. "Like I said, you missed the gloating."

"Well … once we can get our hands free … he's toast."

"No arguments there. I wouldn't mind putting him through a wall or seven," Scott said, testing the straps once more.

"I mean even without powers," Jean said. "We can kick the crap out of him."

"If it's all the same, I'd like to do it with my powers, seeing as he's come back from everything else so far."

"Well, you can, but seeing as he's so obsessed with our abilities, I'd very much like to knock his teeth out the old fashioned way."

Scott smirked for a moment. "Which guy are we talking about, again? The doctor or the one in the helmet?"

"Um … yes," she said carefully. "I've got plenty of training, and I'm constantly told I'm not using it enough, so …"

"Yeah, when I join up, you'll need to give me some lessons," Scott said with a small teasing smirk her way. "All I've got is powers right now."

"Oh, yeah, I'll start you out easy," she laughed to herself.

"Lucky me." Scott smirked and then turned his attention back to trying to get his hands free. "I don't suppose your superhero training covers this kind of thing?"

"Well … parts of it does, but every restraint's a little different — and don't you dare read into that."

"I wasn't," Scott said.

"I was being proactive," she said with a smirk as she tried to fold her hand over so she could get it out of the shackle.

"It's because we're spending the night here and not elsewhere, isn't it?" he teased.

"Yes. Yes, that's it exactly," she said, pulling harder as she bit her bottom lip. "I can almost get it…"

Scott was almost holding his breath, but when it was clear that wasn't working, neither of them had managed to wriggle free, and the frustration with the situation was starting to show. "Is it bad that I'm almost wishing Erik would have some half-cocked mission he wanted to interrupt us for so he'd at least know we're missing?"

"Maybe a little bit," Jean said. "But seeing as I can't … I mean. Even if I had the right angle, I really don't think I can break my own hand to get out of this."

Scott winced and shook his head. "Let's call that our plan of last resort. And I can do that. Just walk me through it."

"I'm telling you; I don't know that you can even get the angle right — that's more for if your hands are together, not like this."

"Still, I'm just saying: if that's our best plan, I'd rather me than you," Scott said reasonably. "I'm not saying that's our first plan of attack, but seeing as I'd rather not go back to spending my life under this guy's nose…"

"I'm in favor — but I'm not any happier about  _you_ doing it, you goofball."

"We… can always use it as an excuse to take me off missions with Erik?" he offered. "Oh no, I broke both hands. Can't flip the visor. Gotta stay home with Jean. Oh well."

"You're hopeless, you know that?" Jean laughed.

"Made you laugh, though," Scott said with a smile.

"Alright, well let's figure out a  _reasonable_ way out of here," Jean suggested.

"If I knew what was stopping our powers… break that and we can call for help," Scott pointed out.

"Well, yeah," Jean said, nodding before she simply let out a breath and rested her head against the flat surface. "So what do we do until he gets back?"

"I don't know," Scott said in a sigh. "He said he'd give me the night to 'choose' if I'm staying. Which is ridiculous — there's no choice tied down." He let out a sort of scoffing noise. "But we're not getting out of this either."

"Just need an opening, Mr. Summers," Jean said.

"I wasn't saying we're  _never_ getting out of this," Scott clarified. "Just not as things are."

"Yeah... especially since I'm still not entirely reliable with the Phoenix."

"If we're in the middle of the snow again, I wouldn't say no to a little fire," he teased.

"You might just get it anyhow," Jean said.

Scott nodded at that, though the conversation seemed to taper off a bit simply because they were stuck.

Eventually, Sinister did make his reappearance, and his smug look hadn't changed in the least as he looked over the two of them. Whatever trace of good humor Jean had simply slipped away as she watched him grinning at the two of them. Scott was right; until then, she'd missed out on the worst of it. But now? Now, he was taking his time with a bottle as he drew out a shot and made his way over to her. Instinctively, she tried to find a way to put some distance between herself and the syringe in his hand, but there wasn't anywhere for her to go.

But being trapped only had Jean panicking, and as her heart rate picked up, she could feel a prickle at the back of her head and down her arms as the fire started to build up in her mind. But it was Scott that saw the flames in her eyes as Sinister rested his hand on her arm to force it flat for the shot — until a moment later when her hands and hair seemed to light on fire, burning the doctor in the process.

"There's your opening, Jean," Scott called out, even as Sinister let out a cry of pain at the fire.

Jean glanced his way for just a moment and focused as the shackles around both her hands, feet — and Scott's — until they simply disintegrated. As did much of the equipment in the room. But it wasn't until she was upright and headed for the guy that the laboratory started to catch on fire around them as well.

"Jean!' Scott called out, one arm thrown up to shield against the fire as he rushed to catch up to her.

She didn't seem to quite hear him though — one arm halfway out in Sinister's direction while she positively torched him to the point that the steel door behind him was melting off its hinges. And a moment later, Scott could feel the piercing headache that meant his powers were back, too.

He turned a blast toward the door and cut them a path through the already melting metal — a lot wider, so they could get through it. "Jean, come on," he called out, gingerly slipping around the hot metal to turn around and hold out his hand — but she wasn't even looking at him.

He tried projecting, since his shouts weren't working:  _Jean, he's gone. We're safe._

She finally looked up at him — though her features were etched with fury for a moment. She narrowed her eyes and blinked a few times before she took a step back, pulling her arm back to her chest and looking surprised at their surroundings for a moment.

Scott shook his head before he stepped forward and grabbed her hand, ignoring for the moment the fact that her hair was still sending out flames. "Come on, Jean. We need to get out of here."

"I didn't mean for this to happen," she said quietly as they headed out.

"It's fine," he said. "You're fine; everyone has a hard time with control, right?"

"No, that's … this is different," she said, shaking her head as they made their escape. "I can't let that happen. That's not  _me._ "

Scott frowned for a moment before he stopped and gave her a quick kiss. "It's fine," he promised. "You got a handle on it."

"I don't know  _how,_ though," Jean said. "I didn't control it at all, and I don't know why it stopped."

Scott shook his head and kissed her again. "We'll figure it out," he said. "You seemed to listen to me when I used our bond; maybe that helped. Maybe it was that the doctor's gone. I don't know. Maybe both. All that matters is you're yourself, and we should get out of here before he comes back  _again_."

"Yeah," Jean said, though it was obvious she was still reeling.

 _Come on, Jean,_ Scott projected to her.  _Focus. Try reaching out to Charles. I need you with me so we can get out of here._

 _Right._ Jean took a deep breath and then squeezed Scott's hand before they rushed off again — this time with Jean reaching out to find Charles' mind to let him know they were in trouble.

They finally stopped when Charles let them know that the X-Men were coming to get them. And with it still being the dead of winter, they opted to stay inside, curling up together. Jean put her head in Scott's lap, and he let out a breath as he gently brushed out her hair and did what he could to reassure her. And while they waited, Jean tried to explain to Scott what had scared her — how the Phoenix was something else entirely inside of her, how she didn't want to lose herself to it.

 _I won't let that happen,_ Scott swore as he traced the line of her face.  _We can handle this together, Jean. If we've got each other, the rest is just details._

Jean smiled as she curled into him a little more.  _There's that optimism I love so much._

_Hey, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I'll fight the Phoenix for you if I have to._

That got a little laugh out of her.  _You're sweet._

 _So are you,_  Scott said.

Jean smiled, curling in a little more, and for a long time, the two of them simply stayed that way. Even if they were worn out, neither one of them was entirely ready to sleep when the doctor who had them had a history of coming back to life. Though Scott had to wonder if the Phoenix wasn't a much more permanent solution to their problem — not that he'd tell Jean as much.


	23. Let's Get Married

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Scott and Jean get a Giant PUSH.

 

* * *

 

Eventually, both Storm and Logan caught up with Scott and Jean. Storm had of course thought to bring them both something warmer to wear, but Logan barely gave Scott a glance before he picked Jean up to carry her in while Scott was putting on his coat.

"Logan, I'm fine," Jean said, shaking her head at what she saw as an over-the-top gesture.

"Just be quiet and let me help, damnit."

"You  _are_ helping," she pointed out. "I'm not hurt," she added gently.

"I'll put you down inside."

Jean let out a breath but decided not to fight him on it, though she did sort of smirk. "You're worried about me," she said, trying to tease a smile out of him.

"Shut up," Logan said, not even smirking.

Jean frowned at that. "What's going on?"

Logan narrowed his eyes slightly and shook his head once. "Not now. Just ... rest up."

"Alright, but I want to know what's happening when we get home."

He seemed to tighten the corners of his mouth slightly more and was sure not to nod even the slightest. "Drink some water, wouldja?"

"Okay, Dad," she said, shaking her head at him.

He gave her a very dry, unamused look for that before he set her down in the nearest seat and then made a point to throw a blanket at her. "You're not funny." He turned away and headed up to the cockpit — already getting things started so they could get back  _faster_.

"I don't know what was in that shot he gave her," Scott admitted to Storm as they loaded up in the jet.

"We can have our doctor look you both over when we get home," Storm promised, obviously concerned herself even as Logan put them in the air.

"Thank you," Scott breathed out, curling a bit more around Jean as he sat by her.

The flight back was relatively short, which meant they didn't have long to wait before Hank had both Scott and Jean in his lab, frowning slightly and sharing a glance with Logan before he hurriedly set up a few things to look them over as Logan simply left them in the lab with Hank.

"Everything alright?" Scott asked when he noticed Hank's frown over some of the results he was seeing.

Hank frowned a bit deeper before he cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes, it seems that the three of you are no worse for the wear."

Both Jean and Scott did a bit of a double take at that. "The… what?" Jean breathed out.

Hank gave her a look over the top of his glasses. "This man considers himself a geneticist, if I understand what Logan told me correctly. It seems this time, his interest was in not only the two of you but your budding family." He gave Jean a moment to process that before he gave her a gentle hug. "Obviously, we would all prefer the circumstances of this particular revelation were different, but congratulations are in order, my dear."

"Do you think he…" Scott said, his eyes wide behind his glasses, though the shock was apparent in how stiff straight he was sitting.

"I'm afraid I haven't finished all my rotations yet," Hank said as he nervously pulled his glasses off to clean them. "I can try to run a few tests, but for the most accurate one right now, I'm afraid I simply haven't trained with it yet." He let out a breath and turned toward Jean. "I can however run some blood tests for basic screening purposes."

Jean blinked at him for a moment before she nodded. "Yes," she said at last. "That ... that would be good."

Hank nodded and made his way over to the bench to get the required equipment to draw some blood. "Of course, in the meantime, you'll likely want to start taking some vitamins … be sure to drink more water… that sort of thing."

Jean nodded, and by that time, Scott had sort of dazedly made his way over to sit with Jean as well.  _Are you feeling alright?_ he asked, grabbing her hand.

 _Yeah, just … not what I was expecting to hear, that's all_.

Scott nodded, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles.  _Are you upset?_

 _I don't really know yet,_ Jean admitted.

Scott nodded again, still clearly shocked as well.  _We haven't even talked about… I thought we'd be married before anything like this._

_Well … I guess we better figure it out fast._

_No kidding._ Scott leaned over to kiss her forehead.  _Whatever you need, I'm with you._

It didn't take Hank any time at all to draw the blood before he paused and then looked between the two of them and simply wrapped Jean up in a hug before sending them upstairs, obviously trying to give them as much support as he could, considering the circumstances.

Jean let out a sigh and took Scott's hand. "I guess … we should probably tell Charles."

"Yeah," Scott said in a breath. "Yeah… he should know what's going on." He paused as they hit the hallway and then pulled her into a long hug. "Let's just… forget about everyone else for a minute," he said into her hair. "You know I love you, right? That's what matters."

"Love you too," she said quietly. "What do  _you_ think about this?"

Scott took a deep breath for a moment and then kissed her forehead. "I think I just want to run away with you."

"Don't tempt me," Jean laughed. "I know someone who could act as minister, you know. And he'd probably work for a hug."

"You say that like it's a threat," Scott said. "But all I'm hearing is that we can get married and make sure this baby has both of us around, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather have a family with." He kissed her again. "I'm just sorry we did this out of order."

She drew in a deep breath and blew it all out in a rush. "I just want to know how long it's been before I get irritated."

"I don't—" Scott blinked at her. "What?"

"I need to know if this was  _us_ or if it was  _him_." Jean let her shoulders drop. "There's a huge difference, you know."

"Yeah," Scott said in a breath. "Yeah, I know." He brushed her hair back. "Either way, you know I'm not going anywhere, right?"

She smirked and nodded, then popped up on her toes to give him a kiss. "Maybe we should find my guy that could marry us. He's probably drinking beer."

Scott laughed at that. "I think I can do better than a drunken priest for you, Jean," he teased.

"Oh, but he's one of my favorite people," Jean said with a smile. "He's the heart of the team, you know."

"I didn't know Charles drank."

Jean laughed at that. "Well he does. But not beer," Jean said, smiling wider than she had been before. "Come on — if he's not in the kitchen at this time of day, he's probably losing at pool."

Scott smiled and let Jean take him by the hand as they went upstairs — of course finding Kurt playing pool with Logan in the game room.

The two of them barely looked up, though Kurt was grinning. "Who's playing the winner?"

"I am, of course," Jean said with a small smile. "And after you lose, you can talk with Scott about what needs to happen so you can marry us."

Kurt very nearly dropped his pool cue, and his tail went out straight behind him as he turned her way. " _Vas?_ "

"You heard me," Jean said, her smile widening.

Kurt grinned at that, a disbelieving laugh escaping him for an instant before he teleported over to her and wrapped her up in a spinning hug. "That's wonderful news! Are you sure you'd like me to do this for you? I will, of course …"

"I can't think of anyone better," Jean said with a laugh.

Kurt beamed at both of them — then teleported the short distance to wrap Scott up in a hug too. "Congratulations! Both of you!"

Scott was obviously surprised by the move before he broke into a grin despite himself too. "It's about time, right?" he said.

"I didn't realize that you'd been an item for that terribly long," Kurt laughed. "But if you say so, then yes! Whatever took you so long?"

"Oh, just got hung up in the details," Scott deadpanned. "Family squabbles. You know how it is."

"I try not to focus on such things," Kurt said, still grinning broadly and clearly tickled.

"Yes, well, we were hoping to get married as soon as you can do it," Jean put in.

"I'll get started with whatever papers I need to do the job properly," Kurt promised.

"Good," Jean said, then bit her lip and glanced at Scott. "Time… is an issue."

"Why?" Kurt asked, his smile slipping slightly.

"Oh, well…" Jean brushed her hair behind her ear and gave him a sort of smile. "Well, I don't want to be a single mother."

Kurt's eyebrows shot up to his hairline as he stared between then. "When did this happen?" He shook his head lightly. "I mean … when … when are you due?"

"That… is a good question," Jean said, then shot Logan a look. " _He_ knew before I did."

Logan didn't react more than to pick up his glass and take a drink.

"He did?" Scott asked.

"He  _carried_ me to the jet," Jean said, one eyebrow raised Logan's way. "How long have you known?" she asked, pointing a finger at him.

Logan raised an eyebrow, then turned his back to her — just going back to setting up the next rack on the table without a word.

"Oh no," Jean said, drawing herself up. "I  _need_ to know this, Logan. Because if it was that creep of a doctor, then—"

"Don't they have tests for that now?" Logan asked dryly.

"It would still show up as mine," Scott said, a bit more subdued and frowning hard.

"Seriously, Logan. The timing is important," Jean said. "And you know. I  _know_ you do.  _How long?_ "

He watched her for a moment, taking in her obvious stress and worry, then let out a slow breath. "Just after Christmas," he said.

Scott looked relieved to hear it, even if Jean hit Logan with a pillow from the nearby couch. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Not my business," he said with a shrug.

"So you let me find it out by creepy doctor instead!"

"Hey," Logan said, pointing a finger at her. "Not like I knew that jackass was gonna pull what he did, or yeah, I would have told you. Or figured out how to get you there on your own."

Jean glared at him for a moment longer before she let out a huff of a breath and then turned back to Kurt. "At least that's one answer for you."

"So that makes it, what...September?" Scott said, one eye closed and his head tipped to the side.

"Bout mid-way through it," Logan said, then handed Kurt his cue again. "Roughly."

Scott nodded at that and then reached over for Jean's hand. "We've got plenty of time to figure out the rest, but the marriage ... I don't want to leave that to wait any longer than necessary," he said Kurt's way.

"As soon as I get 'official', we can move forward with that," Kurt promised. "And I'll file the papers as soon as I possibly can."

"Thank you," Jean said, her smile returning at that.

"Just let me know as soon as you're set," Scott said, squeezing Jean's hand and then tapping the side of his head. "Lorna and I will be there with bells on. She'll want to come — she's been delivering our letters this whole time. And we're getting good at sneaking out at night."

"So Lorna will be standing up for you?" Kurt asked with a growing smile.

Scott paused and then smirked and nodded. "Yeah, she turns eighteen in a few days. That should work."

"Your best man will be Magneto's youngest daughter?" Kurt said, smiling wider.

"No," Scott said, shaking his head with a laugh. "My best man will be my brother. But he's only  _almost_  seventeen, so I need a witness."

"That's only slightly less fun, but yes, good."

"My sister will be mine, of course," Jean said. "But… you're right. She's not old enough…" She smiled. "Storm."

"She'll probably come even if we don't invite her," Scott teased. "And rain on us if we didn't have her in the wedding."

"Like my big sister is that vindictive," Kurt scoffed.

"Might be if she hears we did things out of order," Scott pointed out.

Kurt waved a hand. "You Americans are the ones that are hung up on that."

Jean laughed and shoved him back a step telekinetically. "You're just happy we asked you to do the wedding. If we hadn't, you'd be giving us both the second-degree, and you know it!"

Kurt tipped his chin up. "I know nothing of the sort."

"Uh-huh," Jean said, shaking her head at him before she gave him a hug. "Well, we need to tell the professor what's going on, and you—" She poked him in the chest. "—need to get moving on your duties."

Kurt smiled at her and held up his inducer. "Yes, ma'am," Kurt said, flicking the inducer on first before he simply disappeared in a swirl of smoke.

"You'll be there too, won't you, Logan?" Jean asked.

"What for?" Logan asked as he set the cue down and made his way over to pick up the bottle.

"Because I asked you to be there!" Jean said, throwing her hands up. "Does there have to be more reason than that?"

He frowned at her and shook his head. "Fine."

"Great!" Jean clapped her hands together and then slid her arm through Scott's. "Let's go talk to Charles before I collapse of exhaustion," she declared, which got a little chuckle out of Scott as they headed up.

"You know, at some point, Erik is going to wonder where I am," Scott pointed out as they hit the stairs. "And if we don't want him crashing the party…" He paused and then frowned. "I don't know what I'm going to tell him."

"The truth is always best, isn't it?" Jean said.

"It is. I just…" He let out a breath. "Maybe I'll tell him after the wedding. It would be harder for him to stop it from happening — and he'd just have to accept that you're my wife at that point."

Jean paused and turned to face him fully before she pulled him closer to give him a kiss. "Do you really think he'll react that badly?"

"I don't know," Scott admitted. "He might. He's still mad that I haven't 'recruited' you…" He pushed back some of her hair. "I just don't want him to try to put any conditions on it."

"He doesn't have the power to put conditions on it," Jean said.

"He'd try," Scott said. "Just like he tried to put conditions on dating. And it would just … be easier if he didn't know anything until he can't try to stop it."

She put her hands on either side of his head and pulled him into a long kiss. "Okay."

"I'm just trying to protect this marriage," Scott said softly, though he hadn't moved away from her and was resting his forehead on hers.

"We can handle this, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Scott said quickly. "Just like we can handle the Phoenix. It's just something we'll have to face together. And in this case… he's not heartless, you know. If he knows there's a baby involved…"

"Then I look forward to seeing him warm up for you," Jean teased.

Scott couldn't help but laugh at that. "Hey, he's got kids. He'd do anything to keep Lorna safe. He should get it." As they spoke, they got to Charles' office, and he as usual projected out for them to come in — though he was smiling when they did arrive.

"You probably already know the bigger news, then," Scott said with a quiet sort of smirk.

"I do," Charles said with a fond smile. "And it seems as though congratulations are in order for both of you."

"You don't mind if we use the garden, do you?" Jean asked.

"Of course I don't mind," Charles said. "This is your home, my dear."

"Then I wanted to ask," Scott put in, then paused. "Erik. He doesn't want me to join the X-Men, but I won't take Jean from her family here. Is there anywhere we can stay…."

"Scott, first and foremost, this place is a safe haven. By staying here, you absolutely do not need to be a part of the team in any way."

He nodded. "I just don't want him to have a reason to come after everyone here," he said. "Maybe if I found a place in town or…"

"We have a boathouse here on the grounds, but separate from the mansion," Charles offered.

"That would probably work," Scott said, letting his shoulders drop in relief. "Thanks."

Charles leaned slightly forward. "Congratulations. You'll make a wonderful family, I'm sure."

"I know we will," Jean said with a bright smile Scott's way.


	24. Shotgun Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Scott and Jean get married, woot! And other stuff happens in this chapter too but mostly THEY ARE MARRIED.

 

It was only a couple weeks later that Scott and Lorna found themselves sneaking out on a Sunday night, headed to Westchester — where, of course, the rest of the little group for the wedding would already be there. The sky was completely clear — courtesy of Storm — so that there was nothing in the way of the bright moon and stars, though there were lanterns hanging in the trees that reflected some of the snow that had fallen before.

Not that Scott noticed any of that once he saw Jean, and he broke into a grin that had Alex smirking to himself and nudging Scott in the ribs.

"Never thought you'd be the brother with the shotgun wedding, Scott.'

"Oh, shut up, Alex," Scott said, though he was in too good a mood to mean it.

Kurt was, of course, beaming over the two of them. Since it had been a bit of a rushed affair, he had them go through the basic vows, though that didn't mean Scott and Jean didn't spend the entire time in each other's heads anyway, making it perfectly clear that they were both exactly where they wanted to be.

It was obvious to everyone there that's what the two of them were doing, and Lorna had to shake her head as she leaned over to Alex. "I thought you were exaggerating."

"Are you kidding? It's gotten to the point that we can all tell when she's talking to Scott a few cities over. I've even asked her to say hi to him a few times for me."

Lorna shook her head at that. "Of course you have."

"Hey, I never get to see him unless I come to the date — which I am  _not_ doing."

Lorna smirked at that and kissed his cheek. "Yes, please don't do that."

Since there hadn't been much time to prepare, there wasn't a big to-do, but that didn't mean that there wasn't a celebration, either. With the snow still on the ground, everyone had gone inside for some hot chocolate to simply chat — though it wasn't long before Scott and Jean slipped out to the boathouse.

"And that," Alex whispered loud enough that not only Lorna could hear it but the others as well, "is how I became an uncle, ladies and gents."

There was no hesitation before a poof of blue smoke appeared next to Alex, and Kurt reached out to thwack him in the back of the head with his tail before again disappearing without a word.

"It's true," Alex complained, rubbing his head.

"And rude to bring up," Kurt replied from across the room.

"Hey, was I dissing them? No. I am going to be the fun uncle here, and there's nothing wrong with that," Alex said, sticking his tongue out at Kurt.

"Just behave," Ororo said gently, though she was smirking to herself.

"I waited 'til he was gone, didn't I?" Alex pointed out, though before anyone else could say anything, Lorna had tipped his chair backward, and his arms pinwheeled as he tried to right himself.

"Oops," she said, completely straight-faced.

"See, I didn't get you and Scott being a thing before, but now I'm starting to," Alex said, shaking his head at her. "Same weird sense of humor."

Lorna rolled her eyes at him and then tipped him the rest of the way over. "Okay, that one was on purpose."

Alex shook his head as he picked himself back up and then leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Okay, okay. I'll stop."

"Good," she said, shaking her head at him. "This is supposed to be fun."

"Then why not ditch the adults and go for a walk in the snow?"

Lorna smirked for a moment and then nodded. "Finally, you talk sense," she agreed, grabbing his hand as both of them headed back out into the snow, leaving the rest of the group shaking their heads at the whole display.

Of course, that meant that for the better part of the night, things were quiet until around sunrise, when Lorna needed to get back home — and Scott planned to go with her to tell Erik he had family obligations that he was putting first.

Neither of the couples — Scott and Jean or Lorna and Alex — seemed all that thrilled with the arrangement, though some of the bad mood of separation lifted a bit when the first thing Scott did on seeing Alex was to smack him in the center of the forehead with the garter.

"Hey!"

"Been practicing my aim for years now, Alex; not my fault you can't keep up," Scott said with a smirk before he turned back to Jean and gave her a long kiss. "I'll be right back," he promised.

"You'd better be, Mr. Summers."

"Like I could keep you waiting,  _Mrs. Summers_ ," he shot back.

"Ugh, they're going to do this forever, aren't they?" Alex whispered to Lorna.

"I hope so," she said. "It's sweet."

"You're just a hopeless romantic too, aren't you?" he said with a smirk before he kissed her cheek.

"I must be," she said before she gave him a proper kiss and squeezed his hand. "See you soon."

With that, Scott and Lorna headed off together, though of course, Lorna couldn't help but grin at just how  _happy_ Scott looked.

"You can't wait to go back and be a family man, can you?"

"Not even a little bit," Scott said, his grin widening.

"Well then, in that case, I hope this all goes smoothly," Lorna said. "You deserve that much, at least."

Scott smiled at that and bumped shoulders with her. "Hey, I'm a husband and a father. Nothing more important."

Lorna smiled at him. "It's a good look on you, you know."

Scott grinned. "And what about you and Alex? He hasn't annoyed you to death yet?" he teased.

"No, not yet," Lorna replied. "And he's not trying either."

"Well, little brother. It's a different thing."

"It really is," she agreed. "If he wanted to kiss you, I'd be upset. For both of you."

"Yeah, no kidding," Scott said, making a face at that as they got to the little hideaway. "He let out a breath and set his shoulders. "Okay. Wish me luck. As soon as he's down for breakfast…"

"You've got this, Scott," Lorna sang out. "And I'll be nearby if you change your mind and want back up."

"If you hear us yelling at each other, that's the signal."

"Got it," she said, nodding before she squeezed his arm and nearly skipped down the hall to her room.

Scott smiled after her for a moment before he went to the kitchen to get some coffee started. He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous… Erik had taken him in and even with how much Scott  _knew_ he was getting more paranoid and more extreme… Scott wanted to maintain some kind of relationship with him. It was important.

He had some cream cheese and bagels and was about halfway through his first cup of coffee when Erik arrived as well. Scott took a moment to take a deep breath as Erik prepared his morning tea. "Erik," he said slowly, "I need to talk to you about something."

Erik frowned at that and raised an eyebrow at him. "Well?"

"I… Jean is pregnant," he said in a rush, leaning forward with wide eyes without even thinking about it. And as soon as that was out, the words started to tumble past his teeth faster than he could arrange them into full sentences. "And I couldn't — I can't just leave it at that so we — so I'm going to take care of her and make things right and I married her and I—" He let out a breath. "Erik, I need to be with her. With my family."

"And you're sure it's  _your_ family," Erik replied — almost more as a statement than the question he'd meant it to be.

Scott blinked and then frowned, his forehead wrinkled. "Of  _course_ I'm sure," he said.

"And how long has this been an … issue?"

"We just found out, and as soon as we knew — I have to take care of her, Erik. She's my wife now, and I need to be there for her and for this baby."

"And you think that the safest place for her is at a school that routinely is leveled?"

"We're not staying at the school. There's a house on the lake," Scott said quickly. That was, after all, why he'd talked to Charles… to minimize damage...

"I'm well aware of the layout at Charles'  _school_ ," Erik said. "And it's insulting that you'd consider a known target of Sentinels to be superior to what you yourself have helped to lay out." He leaned forward slightly. "Are you saying you trust my  _old friend_ better than your own judgement?"

"That's not the only thing I'm worried about," Scott said. "It's not just about the place. It's about the environment."

"Yes, I'm sure that Charles'  _school_ won't be full of his ridiculous outlook."

"It's full of people who genuinely care about each other," Scott said.

"Oh, please," Erik said, waving a hand. "I thought you were past such childish outlooks."

"It's not childish to want to raise a family in a loving environment," Scott said. "You really think they'd be safe growing up with the Brotherhood as role models?"

"Scott, you yourself are rarely around them," Erik reasoned. "I see no reason for this child to be either."

"On that at least we can agree," Scott said. He let out a breath and tried to look as open as possible. "I've drawn up all of the security plans, everything you'll need. As detailed as I can be. I'm not going to leave you without."

"You already are," Erik replied with a sharp tone.

"There's nothing I can do about that," Scott said.

"Except to bring them with you to Avalon."

"That's not-" Scott let out a breath and shook his head. "Erik, I'm sorry, but this is what I feel is best for my family. For our future."

"No."

"What?" Scott was on his feet by then — he wasn't sure when it had happened.

Erik set his now-empty teacup down calmly. "I said no."

"I'm not asking your permission, Erik," Scott said.

"Yes, I noticed. But I'm not granting you leave either." Erik got to his feet and rested both hands on the table. "If your little wife wants to keep things together, then she'll simply have to come here."

"No," Scott said, shaking his head at that.

"I will  _not_ see one of my best lieutenants handing secrets over to Charles Xavier," Erik said, his tone shifting to one that was clearly more demanding.

"I'm  _not_ ," Scott shot back, his own tone rising. "I'm not joining the X-Men."

"I said no. That's the end of it," Erik replied.

"Yeah, it is," Scott said, his tone almost bitter. "I really thought you'd at least understand that I need to be with my family."

"And I thought you were smart enough not to fall into such an obvious trap."

"Excuse you?" Scott snapped, the glow behind his glasses suddenly that much brighter.

"The simple fact that you still can't see it is proof enough."

Scott glared at Erik before he let out a huff and spun on his heel. "And that right there is proof of how out of touch with reality you are," he spat out.

He didn't get more than a few steps before long strands of metal wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his sides and locking his legs together, with one long strand slipping around his head where his glasses rested above his ears, holding them tightly to his face as well. "And you're foolish enough to think that I'd let you simply walk out of here."

Scott glared at Erik and tried to pull himself free, but of course, he was stuck. "Erik…"

"As ever, Mr. Summers, if you're not with me, then you are against me and shall be treated accordingly."

"Erik, you can't  _honestly_ believe that wanting to raise a family is some kind of betrayal," Scott breathed out, more than a little panicked, all things considered.

"I believe that you think that's what's going on," Erik said gently. "But you are dealing with mutants well out of your league now, my boy. Two of the world's most powerful telepaths — that on its own would be enough. But with this girl's new set of powers? They're playing you."

"That's just not true," Scott said. "Erik, please — you  _know_ that's not true."

"And I said before, we're done here." Erik waved his hand, sending Scott across the room to rest at the base of a wall as he walked away.

Scott's eyes were wide as Erik strode off before he swore under his breath and reached out for Jean.  _Well, you were right. There's no way to avoid a fight at this point,_ he told her.  _I could use a hand._

 _That's a really lousy way to win our first argument,_  Jean projected back.  _But I'll gather the team. We're on our way._

 _I wouldn't be surprised if he's expecting you,_ he warned.

 _Then he's not stupid,_ Jean replied.  _We can handle him, Mr. Summers._

_Just be careful, Mrs. Summers. If he gets his way, we'll both end up in a cell in space._

_That would be very bad for him,_ Jean said.  _The Phoenix gets stronger in space._

 _I'd really rather not find out what happens if he makes you mad with a_ stronger  _Phoenix._

_Might be too late for that. See you soon. Love you._

_Love you too. Be careful,_ Scott projected back. He let the connection peter out at that, knowing that Jean needed to focus on gathering the team and working with them, though he kept his mind wide open so that she could see where he was and what was going on if she needed to.

After that, Scott could only wait, sure that Erik would send someone to come collect him, though he was surprised when it was Lorna who got to the kitchen first — and let out a little noise from the back of her throat when she saw how very badly things had gone.

"He can't do this," Lorna said as she crouched down by Scott and waved a hand, freeing him up so he could shake out his arms as he sat up.

"Yeah, I had the same thought," Scott said dryly.

Lorna shook her head at him, frowning as she looked him over. "You need to get out of here."

"Working on it," he promised. "My ride's on the way."

Lorna's shoulders dropped at that, since she knew as well as he did that it meant a fight. "I thought for sure…"

"I know; me too," Scott said with a little frown.

Lorna was frowning hard as she pulled him to her feet. "How long do you think—"

"I think they were probably primed to go the second I left, if I'm honest," Scott said, wincing at the tingling in his arms as the feeling came back.

"Then we don't have a lot of time," Lorna said.

Scott raised an eyebrow at that. "You coming too?"

Lorna nodded. "I'm not going to stay here when I know …" She let out a breath. "I can't watch my father tear himself apart."

"Yeah." Scott paused and then pulled her over to hug her and kiss the top of her head. "I'm sorry, Lorna."

"Don't apologize," she said sharply. " _You_ didn't do anything."

"Yeah, but still," Scott said, and Lorna let her shoulders drop.

"Let's just… get out of here," she murmured, turning away from him before she took a deep breath and seemed to settle her shoulders for the fight ahead.


	25. Fight for Your Happily Ever After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a reckoning for Erik.

 

* * *

 

It didn't take long for the little group of X-Men to arrive at Magneto's hideout, though before they even got to the fight, there was a small argument at the jet when Alex wanted to come and "blast the guy's head off."

"We already know Magneto hates you," Logan said. "I'm not too damn fond myself, but I'll be less happy about it if I have to drag you out after Magneto tears you to pieces. Stay. On. The, Jet."

"Hey, I've been working hard," Alex argued. "I've been training just so I can do  _this right here_."

Logan turned back to him with one eyebrow raised. "And I can tell you for a  _fact_ you're not ready for this fight."

"At least let me fight the Brotherhood," Alex argued. "Come on. That's my brother we're going to save!"

Logan tipped his chin down. "You think you can fight?"

"Yeah!"

"Alex, no," Jean said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Just stay here."

"It's a trick question," Kurt said over Alex's shoulder before he had passed him by. "The next thing that you'd see is the back of your eyelids."

Alex crossed his arms and let out a little huff. "It's my brother," he grumbled — though he did take a seat.

"Don't worry," Jean said in as kind a tone as she could manage when she was still upset herself. "He's coming home with us. One way or another."

The team had gotten a fair distance from the jet before Logan turned to Jean. "You know where we're headin'? Or are we just stormin' the castle?"

"I know where Scott is," she said. "But storming the castle might solve the rest of the problem if I just  _happen_ to run into Magneto," she added, her eyes flashing.

"One thing at a time. You head for him; we'll make a distraction," Logan said with a smirk before he and Kurt shared a look — and then disappeared.

"I'll provide the usual cover," Storm said from next to Jean. "And if Magneto steps out … anything can happen, of course."

Jean nodded at that. "Right. Anything," she said with a smirk, already reaching out to Scott to let him know where they were.

Logan and Kurt were doing a spectacular job of drawing attention — that much was evident by the fact that the girls hadn't been spotted yet. Though they were a bit surprised when they met up with Scott and saw Lorna as well, looking downright mad.

"I'm coming with you," she said as soon as she saw Jean and Storm — even as Jean was sure to go right to Scott and hit him in the arm for worrying her before she kissed him. "I can't stay here and watch this anymore."

"Then this will be a bigger fight than we were hoping for," Storm said.

"Let me handle it if he tries to fight," Lorna said. "He's my father. And if it comes from anyone but me, it'll just be worse."

"'If', she says," Jean said in a breath, shaking her head. "'If' he tries to fight."

"Let's just get out of here," Scott suggested, already with one arm around Jean before he gave her a quick kiss and the four of them rushed to make use of Logan and Kurt's distraction and get out before anything else could happen.

Which was working perfectly well until they were almost gone and the fight nearby spilled into the hallway they had been running down — announced by a very large Fred getting knocked back and through the wall.

"Found your dad," Scott muttered under his breath to Lorna, who gave him a dry look at that.

Of course, with the big hole in the wall, it was clear that Erik had spotted the group, and he let out a noise of frustration before he pushed a wall of metal between Storm and Lorna first and foremost. "It's not enough you're trying to turn my lieutenant — but now you're trying to take my daughter?"

"Daddy, stop," Lorna said, holding both of her hands up and looking as sincere as it was possible to be. "Just stop this. The only person that wants a war is you."

Erik frowned at that, his eyes narrowed as he met Lorna's gaze. "My little Lorna," he said, slowly shaking his head. "You don't understand—"

"I understand more than you think," Lorna said, her eyes flashing.

Erik's eyes narrowed even further before, faster than anyone could react, he had taken that sheet of metal he used to separate Lorna and Storm and grabbed hold of Scott with it, positively sending him flying into the room as Erik started to float. "This is how you repay me?" he demanded angrily. "After everything I've given you, you betray me and take my daughter with you?"

"I didn't do anything," Scott shot back just as angrily. "And if you weren't so paranoid, you'd know that!"

There was a tell-tale  _bamf,_  and before Erik could see what was going on, Logan yanked the helmet off of his head, and a heartbeat later, Kurt whistled shrilly for Jean's attention — a clear sign for her to get to work.

Of course, that just had Erik furious as well, and he flung Logan backward, sending him crashing hard into Kurt and knocking Kurt out — and leaving Logan fairly well magnetized to the floor so he wasn't going anywhere either. He was looking as imperious as ever as he reached out for his helmet and with the other hand sent out a few tendrils of metal toward Scott that slammed him hard against the wall, a sort of  _crack_ echoing when he hit. He had instinctively tried to brace himself, and that had instead only served to put one leg between him and the wall when he hit harder than he was used to.

"I will deal with you later," Erik promised venomously even as he turned toward the remaining X-Men — though Jean was having none of it. She had already been moving to invade Erik's mind, but hearing Scott cry out in pain...

The fire was already gathering around her, wisps of it coming off of her like waves as she too started to float. But when Erik tried to use the same move against her that had successfully pinned Scott to the wall, the metal simply melted when it got close enough to her, the molten material dripping in her wake before she simply dove into Erik's mind.

For how angry she was, it would have been so easy to take Erik apart. The Phoenix was right there with her, pushing for more destruction even as the fire seemed to burn a little hotter around her.  _He deserves it_  was the phrase running through her mind.

And she was absolutely willing to go along with that way of dealing with the problem — right up until she heard Scott through their mental connection shouting her name.

 _Come on, Jean; this isn't worth losing control,_ he projected to her — a few times, since it had taken several tries to get her attention when the Phoenix was pushing so hard to simply  _destroy_ everything.

Looking back at Scott didn't do Jean any favors, though. Seeing Kurt unconscious, Logan stuck, and Scott pinned and hurting only had her more furious — and for a moment, the fire around her burned that much brighter.

 _Hey, come on. We just got married, and I am_ not  _losing you to the Phoenix, alright?_ Scott said, his mental tone a little sharper now.

 _No,_  Jean replied, though her mental tone did sound a bit lower than usual.

 _Let's go,_ Scott said.  _Come on. Let's go home. Please._

 _Alright. Just … I have one thing I need to do first. Don't worry, it's not what you think,_ Jean promised. She took just a moment to center herself better before she focused again, this time reaching out very much like she'd done with Scott when they had their first real date after the Phoenix came into her life — only this time, she wasn't working on a temporary switch.

A few minutes later, when Jean's feet touched down on the ground, and the fires died off, she quickly made her way over to Scott. "He won't hurt anyone. And I didn't kill him."

"What happened?"

"I turned off his ability," Jean said. "Locked it down tight. For all his talk about how mutants don't use their abilities on each other, he always broke his own rule. So …"

Scott's eyebrows shot up. "You… is it… permanent?" he asked, even as Lorna took a step toward Erik, frowning like she wasn't quite sure what to make of the whole thing.

"I think so," Jean said, nodding. "Though … I'm also very sure that if I can turn it off, I can turn it on, too."

"Only if he can  _stop_ ," Lorna said, crouching down beside her father before she gently raised a hand to lift Logan off Kurt while they were both unconscious and then to gently let Scott loose.

"So now what do we do?" Scott asked, leaning on Jean for support.

"Now, we go to Westchester," she said. "And I can wake up Logan. He'll be fine. I just wonder if we should bring Magneto too."

"Might not be a bad idea," Scott mused. "I mean… even without his powers… He has a following…"

"He's going to need friends that are actual friends," Jean said. She smirked as she reached out to get Logan moving.  _He can carry him for us._

Scott nodded and leaned into her.  _I won't lie; I feel better knowing he's coming with us._

_I thought you might, but I don't want him waking up and thinking it was malicious either._

_No idea why he'd think that,_ Scott deadpanned.

 _Very funny,_ Jean replied.  _I know he'll think it anyhow, but I have to try and explain to him before he makes his own conclusions._

" _Because you tried to break up my family" isn't reason enough?_ Scott asked, obviously still annoyed about how it had gone down.

_I think it is, but I also think "you turned into a monster" is another great explanation._

Scott nodded and leaned against her a bit more.  _I just … call me an optimist... but without his powers…_

 _Optimist_ , Jean shot back before he could finish, then made a point to quietly ask Logan to get Magneto on board. "I turned off his ability; he's not a danger to anyone," she swore, though she had to let out a breath at the look he gave her.

"I'd like to be there when he wakes up," Lorna said, her gaze still on her unconscious father. "Wanda or I could help make it easier."

Logan took a moment to hoist him into a fireman's carry. "Then take a seat next to him on the jet," he said. "I doubt he'll make it the whole way back before he does."

Lorna nodded. "He's not going to be happy," she muttered, shaking her head.

"He'll live," Scott said. "And it'll do him good to have to sit down and play chess with Charles instead of trying to start a war," he added, which got a little smirk out of Jean.

Logan led the way and got Erik settled in with Lorna — with Alex giving Magneto a very suspicious look — before he headed back to make sure the others didn't need a hand as well, ending up taking up Kurt's other side with Storm before the two of them headed up to the cockpit to get them moving.

"So… are we… kidnapping…" Alex said slowly.

"Shut up, Summers," Logan said.

"Jean turned his powers off," Scott explained.

"Um. How come you didn't do that  _before_?"

"This can all be covered in debrief," Logan said. "Unless you still want to show me you can fight."

But that was a bridge too far for Alex. "Sure, leave me on the jet and then don't tell me anything. That seems perfectly reasonable. Can't I even ask how my brother got a broken leg or why my girlfriend's dad is powerless? Come on, man."

"One led to the other," Jean said with a smirk before she gave Scott's arm a squeeze.

Alex shook his head at that. "Whatever, Jean. Go back to your telepathic makeout with my brother."

"Don't think I won't," she said.

"Or that they ever stopped," Logan added.

Alex snickered at that, but then Lorna pulled him over for a kiss as well — and that seemed to stymie any possible teasing, for the moment.

Eventually, though, Erik did start to wake up, and as expected, he wasn't happy in the least about waking up on the blackbird.

"What is—" Erik cut himself off when he realized where he was and narrowed his eyes, reaching out a hand… and then getting even angrier when nothing happened. "This is absolutely unacceptable," he snapped, turning his attention to Jean, who was almost unconsciously moving in front of Scott. "Release your hold on my powers immediately."

"No," Jean said, holding his gaze with her own eyes narrowed. "Even if we did let you go, you wouldn't get your powers back. I turned them off. Permanently."

For a moment, Erik looked stunned. And then he looked like he was ready to do something he had never done and  _hit_  her — before Lorna put a hand on his arm to try to calm him down.

"Daddy,  _listen_ to them," she pleaded.

"I refuse to listen to anyone who would  _steal_ the gifts that—"

"Oh shut up," Alex said irritably, which had both Lorna and Erik turning his way — Lorna with a surprised look and Erik with a more incensed one. But Alex just met Erik's glare with one of his own. "You want to talk high and mighty? You lost the high ground when you started threatening people to get their loyalty — and when you used your powers to  _break my brother_ ," he added, gesturing toward Scott, who did, despite Jean's attention, look fairly pale from the bad break.

"You know nothing about—"

"Yeah?" Alex challenged, starting to pick up steam. "You really want to go there? You want to talk about, what, loyalty? How many people do you think on your stupid team would take your depowered ass back home and make sure you're safe? You treat everyone around you like tools and I can't believe they're still trying to  _help_ you, but they are." Alex let out a huff. "You're an idiot."

"This was the only option I could see that wouldn't end in war and death," Jean said before Erik could get too worked up at Alex — since as right as he was, he wasn't necessarily the best messenger.

"The only option that allowed you to follow my  _old friend_  rather than join me," Erik shot back, his eyes narrowed.

"Don't," Scott said, his tone filled with a warning Erik's way. "Don't start that. This isn't about our family, and it never was. So don't start."

Erik let out a huff at that. "And now we see your true loyalty."

"Yeah," Scott said, tipping his chin up slightly. "Yeah, we do. And maybe one day you'll see it too."

Erik let out a disbelieving noise at that, but outnumbered and depowered, it was clear that he had nothing further to say, almost grumpily waiting for the flight to be over.

When they landed, Hank was there to meet them in the hangar, and of course, the most pressing issue at hand was Scott's leg. "I'm afraid we'll need to put you out for this one, Mr. Summers the elder," Hank said as soon as they were in his lab.

"Are you sure?" Scott asked with a frown. "I just got married; I'd like not to spend the day after dead to the world."

"It won't heal properly otherwise," Hank said. "And I doubt very much that you'd like to spend the day after screaming in pain while I set the bones."

"Fair enough." Scott let out a breath before he gave Jean's hand a squeeze with a little projected,  _See you when I wake up_ , before he let Hank get him set up.

* * *

While Hank was working on Scott, Erik found himself being escorted by the other X-Men — with Logan in particular making it clear that he didn't have a problem pushing Erik around if he was going to be a problem. Though when Erik got to Charles' office, his old friend really did look as though he was pained to see Erik in the state he was in.

"I truly am sorry that it's had to come to this, Erik," Charles said.

Erik shook his head, an obvious sneer on his lips. "And here you claim not to lie. Your little protege so successfully ensnared my lieutenant and found a way into my mind and powers — and you say you're  _sorry_."

"Erik," Charles said in a much less friendly tone. "You have gone farther than I thought if that's what you truly believe. The young  _Summers_ are in love. And they have been for some time."

"And as I told Scott repeatedly, if that were the case, she could just as easily have remained with me and mine —  _safer,_ I think, than your targeted school," Erik replied.

"How many people died in your safe haven, Erik?" Charles challenged.

For a moment, Erik looked taken aback by the jab before he only looked angrier. "All the more reason to avoid this school. I'll not have anyone targeted and murdered again."

"You are free to leave if you wish," Charles replied. "Jean knows that she is safe here — as does everyone else here."

"So that's it? You take my powers and my followers — my own daughter — and expect that to be the end of things?"

"Erik, I haven't taken anyone," Charles said wearily. "They have chosen to come here — and if they choose to leave, then they may do so with my blessings. At any time." He leaned forward. "But honestly, I would love if you stayed to see for yourself."

"And what do you expect me to see, old friend? I've heard your philosophy many times before."

"This isn't about philosophy," Charles said. "This is about practice."

Erik let out a little scoff and shook his head, leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed. "You cannot expect me to fall in line with your little schoolchildren."

"No, that wasn't what I was hoping for," Charles said. "I was hoping to give you a chance to see your daughter in her own environment — one that she chose. And to see Scott flourish with his family.  _Your_ family, whether you acknowledge your role in his life or not But if you wanted to step in to guest lecture the history class down the line, I'm sure Logan wouldn't argue with you about it."

"History," Erik repeated as if he simply couldn't believe that was the option presented to him.

"It's a very important subject," Charles said reasonably before he gave Erik a tight smile. "Of course, I believe I'll keep the Human-Mutant relations class to myself."

Erik almost couldn't help but let out a huff of a laugh at that. "You would."

Charles smirked a little wider. "Can you blame me?"

"In a school focused on your peaceful philosophy?" Erik shook his head. "I wouldn't believe anything less."

"Erik, please. You know I'd love to have you here."

"To teach history."

"When Logan is elsewhere," Charles said, almost chuckling. "Or if you chose to do a guest lecture on your experiences in the war."

"And what, exactly, do you expect me to do with myself when Logan is teaching, then?" Erik said.

Charles gestured openly. "Would you  _like_ to teach something full-time? Tell me what would spark your interest."

"I would  _like_ to get back to the work that I was doing," Erik said irritably. "Tell your protege to lift this ridiculous telepathic block."

"It's not a telepathic block, or I would be able to lift it," Charles told him.

Erik's frown deepened at that. "Those new powers," he guessed.

"It's a bit deeper than the simple matter of new powers."

Erik waved a hand. "Whatever the case, the truth of the matter is that I had  _work_ to do."

"Then you might need to talk Mrs. Summers into reversing it." Charles smirked. "And from how you've spoken about and to her, I think you've got a lot of convincing to do."

"She ensnared one of my best lieutenants," Erik said with a sneer.

"Fell in  _love_ , Erik."

"Then you think it was just coincidence that the moment they started  _dating_ , he started to rebel against my authority?"

"Erik. Have you forgotten entirely what it was like when you fell in love with Magda?"

Erik huffed. "This is not the same."

"How would you know? Have you become a telepath when my back was turned? Perhaps you picked up the talent of an empath — in which case, I would advise you apply that newfound talent with the young man you're so upset over."

Erik frowned for a long moment, his arms still crossed, before he let out a long breath. "Well-played, Charles," he said at last, shaking his head.

* * *

The first thing that Scott was aware of when he started to wake up was the fact that he could feel Jean's hand in his, and that had him smiling before he even opened his eyes.

"G'morning," he said softly as he turned his head her way, smiling a little more when he saw Jean sitting beside him.

Jean smiled. "Hello again, Mr. Summers," she said.

He smirked at that and started to sit up a bit, though he was still a little dizzy and wound up lying back against the pillows anyway. "Sorry about the explosive start to married life," he muttered. "Promise it won't happen again."

Jean smiled at that and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I'll hold you to that."

"I mean," he said with a quiet sort of smirk, "we've got a family to hold together."

"Yes, we do," she said, smiling a little more as he leaned into her touch.

By that time, Hank had made his way over and took a moment to check Scott over for himself before he nodded gently. "Well, Mr. Summers, you seem to be healing as you should be. I see no reason for you not to take your recovery to your room."

Jean smiled at that. "Well then, let's go home," she said. After all, she didn't have to wait as long for Scott to recover when she could simply use a bit of telekinesis to move him. Though he was surprised when she headed up the stairs instead of out the door.

 _Thought we were going home,_ Scott projected — since it was easier than talking when he was still a little groggy.

Jean smiled at him and kissed the side of his head.  _Yes, well… it's cold outside, and besides, why do we need to stay in the boathouse if Magneto isn't going to interfere anymore?_

Scott blinked at her for a second before he slowly nodded. "Good point."

Jean couldn't help but chuckle at that before she gave him another kiss. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No," he said quickly. "No, I was just thinking… he's really not going to be able to do a thing about this…"

Jean smirked, since he was still clearly a little dopey. "Yes, exactly."

"No more Brotherhood, no more missions…"

"No more saying goodbye," Jean put in, which had Scott smiling a little wider before she kissed him.

Scott nodded at that, his arm still around Jean's shoulders as they arrived at the suite that Charles had long ago set aside — "just in case" they decided not to stay in the boathouse. It had enough space for the little one, of course, but for the moment, Jean and Scott only went to the bedroom to curl up while Scott was healing.

For a long while, the two of them were simply content to snuggle in,  _finally_ enjoying some peace and quiet with no obligations and no plans for either of them to go anywhere for a while that didn't involve simply getting food or water. Though just as Scott was starting to drift off, Jean caught his voice in her mind:  _Wonder what Alex will say if I can outpace him in training._

Jean picked her head up off his chest at that. "What?"

Scott raised an eyebrow and then seemed to realize that he had been projecting that thought — though he hadn't meant to. "I was just…"

"Thinking about the future already," Jean teased him, though it was clear she was tickled.

"Well, yeah," Scott said, then kissed the top of her head. "I mean…" He let out a breath and simply held her a bit tighter.  _Probably look better in yellow than purple._

 _Oh, you absolutely would,_ Jean said, not even bothering to hide her delight before she kissed him deeply.  _Yes, I think I like this plan of yours._

 _Oh good,_ Scott said with a little smirk, pulling her a little tighter into the kiss.  _Think the baby can handle both of us being on the team, though? You were there first… I'd be more than happy to just_ —

 _Oh no,_ Jean said, pulling back a bit to look him in the face.  _No, no. This little one is going to be_ spoiled  _for attention. Don't you worry about it._ She smiled and then kissed him again.  _Who else can say they have parents as amazing as us?_

 _Good point,_ Scott said, unable to hide his little chuckle before they got wrapped up all over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't the end! There's an epilogue that I'll put up either tomorrow or Monday (I have guests over so it depends on how exhausted I am playing hostess haha) and then... sadly... it'll be time to say goodbye to this story. Which is a shame because it was such a fun little "what if" experiment! Thanks for sticking with us, y'all. <3


	26. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we look ahead a few years at life in the mansion and see just what "happily ever after" looks like for our heroes.

 

* * *

It had been a few years since Scott joined the team, and if he was honest, things were turning out better than he'd hoped.

His and Jean's little boy, Nate, was just as smart as either of his parents already — and just as prone to getting into trouble. He was almost five years old, and even that young, he had still managed to get himself a reputation. No one in the institute had escaped Nate's insistence on playing and adventure.

Obviously, Alex loved to encourage the little guy — but whenever anyone tried to get onto him about it, Nate would run, without fail, to Logan. When he was  _really_ little, that usually meant tugging on his pants leg until Logan relented and picked him up. Now that he was getting a little older, though, Logan would usually see what  _kind_ of trouble he was getting into before he decided whether to spoil the kid.

At the moment, though, for Nate, his focus was less on getting into trouble and more on being excited.

His parents were still downstairs, but he had skipped all the way up to go find people, this time going to where Erik was taking his morning tea.

It had taken a little while, but with no powers and nothing to do but observe the family dynamics of the X-Men, Erik had warmed up significantly to the Summers family — even if he didn't entirely approve of his youngest daughter's choice in a husband. So Nate was blissfully unaware that Erik had ever been anything but a good person to go to.

"Guess what!" Nate sang out, his eyes wide. "Guess what. Doctor Blue gotted it  _wrong_."

Erik raised an eyebrow at that and set down his tea, giving the little boy his full attention. "Oh?"

"Uh-huh." Nate had come right up to the edge of the table so that he was barely peeking over the top of it. "It's not a brother; it's a sister."

"Is that so?"

"Yep." Nate stared up at Erik for a moment before he climbed up Erik's chair until he was sitting on him. "My dad says she's the prettiest thing he ever saw, but I think she looks pink and wrinkly."

"Pretty sure that's what all babies look like," Kitty pointed out as she arrived downstairs, a wide smile on her face now that she'd heard Nate's news.

"Well, how d'you know?" Nate asked, scrunching his nose up at her. "You don't  _have_ any."

"Definitely not," Kitty agreed, making a face right back at him.

Nate stuck his tongue out and then turned to Erik. "You should see my sister," he told Erik seriously. "I'm gonna get you  _and_ I'm gonna get Grandpa Charles — because I already got my other grandpa because he and Grandma came to help Mom. So I'm gonna get  _all_  my grandpas."

"You have a lot of those," Kitty giggled.

Nate nodded seriously. "Uncle Alex says it's because I'm so cool," he said in a perfectly matter-of-fact tone before he turned back to Erik and grinned. "See ya downstairs!" he declared before he hopped off Erik's lap to go find Charles.

Erik shook his head to himself, but there was no way that he could ignore the little boy's excitement — or his directive — and so he found himself making his way down to where Scott and Jean were, in fact, perfectly and contentedly curled around their little one in a pink blanket.

For a moment, Erik almost held his breath when he saw it. He wasn't sure that either of them had even noticed his presence yet, and he couldn't help but try to take in the scene.

He hadn't been there when Nate was born. Instead, in his own stubbornness, he had left the little couple alone. They were, after all, already surrounded by others — and for Erik, the knowledge that it had been that child that sparked the fight that left him powerless and  _forced_ to reckon with what he had become was still a sore spot.

And so he hadn't been there to see what he was seeing now: the look of pure adoration on both Scott's and Jean's faces as they looked down at their little one. Erik could only imagine that it had been the same with Nate, but again, he hadn't been there.

What he  _had_ seen, however, was a little family growing and flourishing at Charles' school. He had been able to see as everyone in Nate's orbit pitched in to help him, and little by little, he could remember what it was that Scott had told him about  _why_ he chose to raise his family here.

He'd said that he wanted his little one surrounded by love. And he certainly was.

Both of Jean's parents, as well as both of their siblings, were already there, talking quietly and looking tired. Nate had likely slept through most of what was happening, but it was clear that the delivery had gone through the night, judging by the tiredness in everyone's expressions — and the fact that no one had noticed Erik yet.

Which of course, only let him to his thoughts.

He still wasn't entirely used to the fact that Nate referred to him as his grandfather, but seeing the little pink blanket, Erik was determined to do a little better this time. As Charles had pointed out to him on multiple occasions, he had taken an orphaned Scott into his family, and he should start acting like it.

Erik wasn't sure how long he had been standing there, but it was clearly enough time for Charles to arrive as well — because he was broken out of his thoughts by the arrival of Charles and Nate, who looked pleased with himself for accomplishing his mission of getting everyone down to see his sister.

"You gotta go say  _hi_ , Grandpa Erik," Nate said in a clearly exasperated tone. "How's she gonna know you're a grandpa unless you go say hi?"

"How indeed," Charles said in a tone that clearly betrayed how entertained he was by Nate's determination to run everything.

Erik shook his head at that, though he did gesture for Charles to come with him as they made their way over to the little Summers family. Nate, of course, climbed right up beside his mother and grinned up at her crookedly.

"I went and got the grandpas," he informed her. "Because you said that we should have  _all_ our family here."

"I did say that, didn't I?" Jean said with a smile as she leaned over to kiss the top of Nate's head. "We'll get the rest of our friends later, won't we?"

Nate nodded, peering over at the little bundle. "She's not as pink as she was before," he said.

"That's what happens when you give Doctor Blue a chance to clean her up before you go passing judgement on your little sister," Scott said with a smirk before he reached over to ruffle Nate's hair.

"I wasn't judging," Nate argued. "She  _was_ all pink and wrinkly! Kitty says that's what babies  _do_."

"And Kitty knows so much about babies," Scott said.

But that just had Nate giggling as he pointed at his father. "That's what  _I_ said, and then she made a face at me!"

"How dare she," Scott deadpanned, though he couldn't hold any kind of a poker face at the moment for how widely he was grinning. Anyone in the room could see that he was over the moon — regardless of whether they even had any ties to the Summers family themselves.

Nate grinned that much wider before he shrugged up to his ears and resettled the way he was sitting so that he was more cuddling with his mom than looking down at the baby. "So, when's she gonna wake up?" he asked.

"She just ate, so she'll probably sleep for a while," Jean explained with a smile as Charles made his way over and she gently laid the little girl into his arms.

It was something else entirely to see Charles' expression, too. Erik had to believe that he'd worn the same one when Nate was born, but since he hadn't been there, he could only assume that the twinkling eyes and the almost-laugh of delight that escaped him had also been there for the Summers' firstborn.

"She's wonderful," Charles said when he did finally look back up at the beaming parents instead of the little girl in his arms.

Jean smiled a little wider. "We think so too."

"And what is your name, little one?" Charles asked, obviously not expecting the little girl to answer but clearly delighted all the same.

"Rachel," Scott answered. "We named her Rachel."

"Hello, Rachel," Charles said, still with that same look that Erik had never seen on his face before.

"Mom says she's real smart," Nate put in helpfully. "She says she's been hearing my sister's thoughts in her tummy and she's real curious and smart and stuff."

"Of course she is," Charles said with a warm smile.

Nate beamed, obviously proud of his sister, before he tugged on Erik's sleeve. "Okay, your turn!"

Erik blinked in surprise and then frowned at the little couple and their new daughter. "Oh, I…"

But Scott smiled lightly and nodded. "Go ahead."

Erik didn't know what to say — and Charles seemed highly entertained. So, of course, Charles simply tipped the little girl into Erik's arms, and he got to see her up close for the first time.

She was smaller than he expected, especially since Nate had been older before Erik had held him. But it was already obvious she would be a redhead if the tufts of bright red on her forehead peeking out from underneath her hat were any indication. And even asleep, Erik could see that she had her mother's beauty.

He sat down with Rachel and couldn't quite stop his smile before he looked up, suddenly remembering that he had an audience, and cleared his throat a bit at the  _highly_ amused look on Charles' face. "She's lovely," he said at last.

"We tend to think so," Jean said, smiling up at Scott.

Erik couldn't help but smirk at that before he got up to gently hand the little girl off to Scott. "Congratulations," he said.

Scott nodded as he rearranged the way he was holding Rachel. "Thanks."

With that, Erik turned to leave, sure that the little family wanted some time to themselves — so he absolutely hadn't been expecting Scott to hand his daughter to Jean and catch up to Erik before he was entirely out the door, one hand on his shoulder to stop him.

Erik turned Scott's way, but neither of them had ever been good at expressing themselves. So, there was silence between them for a long moment before Scott simply gave Erik's shoulder a squeeze.

"Thanks," he said simply.

Erik met his gaze and then, slowly, smiled and put both hands on Scott's shoulders. "I don't say it enough," he said. "But I  _am_ proud of you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're so sad to see this one come to an end... even if it's been complete since before we started posting ;) It's been a blast exploring this "what if" universe, and we're so THRILLED that so many people have enjoyed it with us. (Mags: I've loved this so much I might even go back to this universe sometime... *she says, knowing full well there are literally hundreds of thousands of words of fanfic that need editing and polishing that we've already written to post on this black hole of a site lol) We're both terrible at endings, so believe us, we're just as sad to see "epilogue" on the title card!
> 
> Of course, while this is the end of the story here, CC and I are going to continue to write together and have been writing together almost every day for years now. So I (mags) can't help but do a little self-promotion here if you find you still want more... CC's 906 universe is THE reason I like Logan (I wasn't a fan before, but she won me over with how well she writes him), and she's got some excellent Jott there too (which has made me cry on more than one occasion!), and the "Age of Magneto" story with her feral-mutant OC has probably my favorite Jott proposal ever. Then there's our 907 universe, which involves Scott being found by LOGAN first (not Charles, not Erik, Logan... it works surprisingly well), which also has some great Jott once he does, eventually, find his way to Westchester ;) Our 495 universe involving a tiny Clint Barton befriending a mutant and stealing the hearts of all the X-Men and Avengers is also well-worth a read (and features Jott and RACHEL *omg spoilers. not sorry*) as well as our 664 universe (with some fun Phoenix-in-space) in which Marvel Boy starts out his life on Earth as an X-Man. I know a couple people peeked at our 867 universe, which is a Hunger Games crossover that started on ffn, and while it doesn't have Jott, it does have some of our favorite crack ships and a whole lot of FUN. Obviously, not all of these stories have Scott or Jean as the main focus, but they are so. freaking. fun. 
> 
> Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't also talk up our biggest, most ambitious project (which, all told, will end up with literally dozens of volumes): the 714 Marvel universe. I have to warn you that it doesn't have Jott, but that's because we wanted to experiment with Scott marrying a human (because we all know Sinister would hate that and omg when Scott has a child who isn't a mutant... wow, Nathaniel, what a hissy fit). But it's probably my favorite work we've done together, featuring crack ships that surprisingly work REALLY well and lots of X-babies. Because X-babies. 
> 
> tldr: We're going to keep writing. And we're going to keep doing our utmost to make our favorites happy. In whatever universes they find themselves in. We just hope that we continue to entertain and that you continue to enjoy our writing. It certainly makes us happy too :)
> 
> -xoxo, Mags and CC


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